A SpaceX rocket left a lithium plume in our atmosphere - researchers say this could escalate
Published on: Feb. 24, 2026, 1:03 a.m. | Source: The Economic Times
Scientists have detected a plume of lithium pollution in Earths upper atmosphere and traced it to the re-entry of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage. Using advanced LIDAR technology, researchers observed a rapid spike in lithium almost 100 kilometres above Earth, about ten times higher than normal levels. Atmospheric modelling connected the plume directly to the rockets uncontrolled descent over the Atlantic Ocean.
