“The aurora was visual but colorless… then the brightest sight I’ve ever seen,” reported aurora photographer Derick Wilson, whose camera caught an eye-blinding white streak over Farmington, New Mexico. The unexpected show on May 17, 2025, shocked most observers of the sky across the United States and left them baffled. This celestial phenomenon, which was first confused with the aurora-like display STEVE, occurred because a Chinese rocket launched a new form of fuel into space.
The perpetrator of the stunning show was Chinese company LandSpace’s Zhuque-2E rocket launched at China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The rocket carried six satellites into orbit before expelling a fuel dump around 155 miles (250 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth. The shed fuel, made up of liquid methane and liquid oxygen referred to as “methalox,” froze to create tiny crystals. Since these crystals were refracting sunlight, they formed a shining, radiating streak across the black sky at night, Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer Jonathan McDowell posted on social media site X.
The spectacle showed up when there was a G2-class geomagnetic storm, something itself unexpected, caused by a coronal mass ejection from the sun that hit Earth’s magnetic field earlier tonight. The combination of the geomagnetic storm and the rocket fuel dump gave a stunning spectacle, and the white trail was observed in at least seven states: Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Missouri, Nebraska, Washington, and New Mexico. A timelapse video was captured by photographer Mike Lewinski in Crestone, Colorado, while Jay Shaffer in Taos County, New Mexico, captured a long-exposure photo. These photos soon went viral on social media and science sites, grabbing the audience’s attention and generating curiosity.
The Zhuque-2E rocket is a reusable expendable orbital launch vehicle with total measurements of approximately 160 feet in height and payload capacity up to 13,200 pounds (6,000 kilograms) to low-Earth orbit (LEO). Unlike most rockets, which use hydrogen or kerosene-fueled fuel, Zhuque-2E uses methalox, a liquid methane and liquid oxygen fuel mix. Methane was an attractive rocket fuel because it has cleaner combustion than most standard fuels and theoretically could be used for in-situ fuel manufacturing throughout the solar system, even on Mars. Hence, it is a top contender for use in future solar system missions.
This use of methalox was not new but usage of it on Zhuque-2E is a monumental step in the technology of Chinese space technology. The Zhuque-2 set a record in July 2023 to be the first methane-fueled rocket to achieve LEO, even outpacing the Starship rocket of the magnificent capabilities of SpaceX. China has since flown four methane-fueled rockets successfully, a testament that it is serious about developing the technology. The most recent Zhuque-2E launch was its second mission and involved deploying six satellites, one radar spacecraft, and space science payload into orbit.
The test validates the improvement in rocket technology and increasing space for players like LandSpace in the global competition to space. With countries still researching the feasibility of interstellar travel, the application of cleaner and more efficient fuel such as methalox becomes increasingly relevant. Having the capacity to generate methane on other planets has the potential to open new avenues for long-term human space exploration and solar system colonization.
While the white streak was undoubtedly a sight to be seen by those who were fortunate enough to be alive to see it, it also functions as an indication of how complex the interactions between natural occurrences and man-made objects are in our own environment. The unexpected geomagnetic storm that followed the streak resulted from a coronal mass ejection of the sun that struck Earth’s magnetic field. The rocket fuel spillage with this exercise provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience that left one and all onlookers agog with wonder.
As the space mission is catching fire, we are soon to see a lot of such crowd-attracting shows in the night sky. With the advancements in rocketry and the number of satellite launches, our horizon of foray is broadening, giving us a glimpse of the enormity that lies beyond our planet. Zhuque-2E rocket and methalox fuel are a giant leap in terms of space exploration that is sustainable and are opening the door to the next generation of deep space exploration to the far side of our solar system. Burning methane as rocket fuel has the double benefit of not only being environmentally clean but also with being compatible with long-term space exploration and Mars colonization.
