By Hazarry bin Haji Ali Ahmad, Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam
October 19, 2026 at 3.00 a.m.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Multiple visual reports, video footage, and firsthand eyewitness accounts captured between 6:30 PM and 6:33 PM on Sunday, October 18, 2026, confirm the sighting of a prominent high-altitude luminous object traversing the skies across Belait, Tutong and Brunei-Muara districts. Following the event, the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD) received dozens of eyewitness reports from across the country documenting the unusual occurrence.

Eyewitnesses across several locations provided detailed descriptions of the phenomenon (see Table 1). Fathin Khairunnisa, who observed the event while exiting the Jerudong Park Foodcourt heading towards the Tutong-Muara highway, reported seeing a fast-flying object moving upward to the left before disappearing behind thick cloud cover. She noted that the object possessed a vibrant red core transitioning into a blue and green tail, moving noticeably slower than a typical meteor but significantly faster than standard commercial aircraft. “I thought it was military craft or UFO or space debris”, she added.

Additional reports came in from across the Sultanate, including Zaidah Mardani, who spotted the object outside Hua Ho Department Store, Gadong, around 6:30 PM after finishing groceries, describing a shooting star-like appearance with a distinct fume tail moving left and disappearing into cloud cover; Zulhilmi Zulkifli (24) in Jalan Lambak Kanan, Kampung Lambak ‘B’, who recorded the object while facing south at 6:33 PM; Shahreena who also saw the bright fireball-like object in the south-west direction in Kampong Kilanas at 6:32 PM; Muiz (19), who photographed the object from Sungai Tampoi, Sengkurong, after initially mistaking the glowing craft for an aircraft at 6:32 PM before recognizing its meteor-like streak with a small trailing piece behind it; and Iz’aan (27) in Rasau, Belait, who video recorded the intact object at 6:30 PM prior to visible fragmentation. Other witnesses who captured the event on video include Amal Lemari BN along the Jerudong Highway, Red_R in Kampong Tungku, Nadzirul Asyraf at Tutong Skateboard Park, Saddam Bakir at Tutong Civic Centre and a student Raziq Adaniy in Kampung Mata-mata, who all further documented the object’s prolonged path across the evening twilight sky.

Video recordings provided by eyewitnesses confirm several distinct flight characteristics (see Table 2) indicative of artificial orbital space debris re-entering the atmosphere. Unlike natural meteors that burn out within 1 to 2 seconds, this object maintained continuous visual emission for 20 to 30 seconds across a wide angular path. Its low angular velocity, steady shallow-angle trajectory, intense red-orange thermal glow, few glowing fragments trailing sparks and persistent smoke trail all strongly point to the upper-atmosphere break-up and re-entry of man-made satellite or rocket hardware.

Preliminary orbital tracking data strongly identifies the object as ZQ-2E R/B (NORAD 101070), a spent Zhuque-2E rocket body launched on October 14, 2026. Tracked by The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS), the high-altitude rocket stage passed directly over the region during its predicted uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry window on October 18, 2026, above more than 170 km based on the calculated satellite tracking and orbital mechanics Two-Line Element Set (TLE). Video recordings indicate that the object underwent extensive thermal fragmentation and vaporization high in the upper atmosphere.

Following local observations, PABD relayed eyewitness reports and submitted video footage to the International Astronomical Center (IAC), a scientific official center based in Abu Dhabi, for review and further analysis through its Satellite Reentry Monitoring Program. After examining the data, the IAC confirmed that the luminous object observed over Brunei was the atmospheric re-entry of a nearly five-ton Chinese rocket stage. The rocket body, operated by private aerospace company LandSpace, had been launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to deploy satellites into orbit. Weighing approximately 5,000 kg, the spent rocket stage remained in orbit for only four days before atmospheric drag caused its gradual orbital decay and eventual re-entry over the Sultanate of Brunei on 18 October.

The IAC noted that while the intense thermal energy caused the stage to glow brightly and break apart into multiple luminous fragments along the same trajectory, it is not possible to confirm the complete burnout of all components without additional information, as heat-resistant parts can occasionally survive atmospheric transit.

Table 1: Eyewitness Reports

Note: Eyewitness reports received through Facebook / Instagram messaging and comments are excluded from this summary. We greatly appreciate everyone who contributed their observations and helped document this event.

Table 2: What Is That Light in the Sky?

Statement by IAC on Space Debris Re-entry above Brunei Darussalam Oct 18, 2026