Falling Russian Rocket Streaks Across the Las Vegas Sky

But U.S. Strategic Command put the conjecture to rest when it announced the light was caused by a Russian SL-4 rocket re-entering the atmosphere over Arizona about 7:08 p.m. MT. There are possibilities that the rocket’s body detached when it was taking items to the space, they explained. Theory given by experts may be the correct version as a Russian craft launched Monday from Kazakhstan on a voyage to the International Space Station (ISS). Pictures and videos of the object showed it as a bright white streak that began to break apart into many smaller streaks after about 30 seconds.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 21 at 08:44 (GMT).

“I was kind of freaked out to see something like that blowing up in the air and you don’t know what it is”, said Gunnar Lindstrom, who saw the streak of light as he exited a vehicle at his Las Vegas apartment complex and initially believed it was an airplane.

The AMS has received sighting reports from California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah, as far north as Redding, California, and as far east as Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Turns out it just old fashioned space junk, courtesy of the Russians.

“It makes sense that people are skeptical”, Thoburn said.