NASA Astronaut Photographs Russian Rocket Fireball Over West Africa
NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured a Russian rocket breaking apart over West Africa on April 27, 2026, creating a dramatic fireball visible from orbit.
(Image credit: NASA/Chris Williams)
Where is it? Somewhere over West Africa
What’s in the photos? Space debris from a Russian rocket burning up upon reentry
Who took the photos? NASA astronaut Chris Williams
When were they taken? April 27, 2026
NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured a massive fireball — made up of dozens of flaming pieces of a Russian rocket — streaking across the nighttime sky over West Africa on April 27, 2026. The images, taken from the International Space Station, show the disintegrating debris trailing bright streaks of fire against the dark atmosphere, with clouds visible in the foreground below.
The spectacular display was the result of a Russian rocket reentering Earth’s atmosphere and breaking apart under the intense heat and friction of reentry. Rather than surviving intact to the surface, the rocket fragmented into numerous flaming pieces, producing the vivid multi-trail fireball recorded by Williams. Such reentries are not uncommon for spent rocket stages and other orbital hardware, though they are rarely photographed from orbit with this level of clarity.
Williams’ image offers a striking perspective on the life cycle of space hardware — from launch to the fiery conclusion of an uncontrolled reentry, witnessed here from the vantage point of the space station passing high above West Africa.