Viral Glowing Object in Bali Sky, BRIN: It's a Chinese Rocket

A video recording by residents capturing a glowing object in the Bali sky circulated on Saturday night (11/4/2026). The video was recorded by residents from various areas including Denpasar, Gianyar, and Badung.

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) provided an explanation regarding the object. BRIN researcher Thomas Djamaluddin stated that the glowing object was a Chinese rocket named Smart Dragon-3 or Jielong-3.

“It was the launch of the Chinese Smart Dragon-3 or Jielong-3 rocket on 11 April 2026 at 18:32 WIB,” said Thomas when confirmed on Sunday (15/4/2026).

The rocket was launched via a sea-based launch system at Yangjiang Beach, Guangdong, China. He explained that its trajectory indeed passed over Indonesian skies.

“Jielong is a solid-fuelled rocket that launches up to an altitude of 500 kilometres,” he clarified.

Thomas also added that the white smoke at the rocket’s tail was a burst of gas emitted while traversing the upper atmosphere towards space.

“For example, it could be the launch of internet satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit,” Thomas added.