By Charles Switzer
12:48pm PST, Feb 13, 2025
Pilot's Close Encounter with a Russian Rocket
British pilot
Alex Robertson, 29, had a heart-stopping moment while flying at 32,000 feet over Kyrgyzstan when a Russian rocket suddenly appeared in his flight path. The Progress MS-29 cargo spacecraft was en route to the International Space Station (ISS) when Robertson spotted it from his cockpit.
The sighting came on the same night that
Vladimir Putin unveiled Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic missile, leading to confusion as some social media users mistakenly identified the
rocket as the new weapon.
Here's everything to know about the mystery rocket.
MORE:
Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
Stunning Video Captures Rocket's Ascent
Incredible footage captured the unmanned Progress MS-29 spacecraft, a model based on the Soyuz range, streaking across the sky. Robertson, who was piloting a commercial courier flight, watched in awe as the rocket ascended.
"It popped up out of nowhere and I watched it race past," he recalled.
He noted that in the video, the first stage separation is visible, followed by the discarded section exploding upon impact with the ground. "That was strange as it shouldn't have fuel in it to explode," he said.
Rocket's Journey to Space Sparks Speculation
The sighting occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, over Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, near Almaty in Kazakhstan.
Multiple angles of the launch showed the Progress MS-29 tearing through the sky, leaving a dramatic vapor trail behind. A striking moment in the footage revealed a vapor ring appearing as the rocket
ripped through the night sky. The mission marked the 182nd flight of the Progress series, which has been delivering cargo to the ISS since 2000.
The Legacy of the Progress Spacecraft
The Progress MS-29, originally developed by the Soviet Union in 1978, is a vital part of Russia's space logistics program,
The Sun reported. Unlike the Soyuz crew spacecraft, Progress was designed exclusively for cargo transport, removing life-support systems and a heat shield to maximize storage capacity.
Weighing seven tonnes and measuring 7.9 meters in length, the spacecraft carries up to 2.5 tons of food, water, oxygen, fuel and scientific equipment to astronauts in orbit. This particular mission was historic, as it marked the first time a Progress spacecraft was capable of returning cargo to Earth using its Raduga capsule.
