Yes. However, you would not see something fall from the sky like this. As is mentioned elsewhere in this thread, it would burn most of its mass off before billowing into flames like this.
Directed energy weapons, as far as we know in the real world, are nothing at all like star wars blasters. It's like pointing a microwave oven at something. You don't shatter it, you zap it. Such would require sustained energy direction over minutes or hours, but the actual kinetic force (as opposed to the thermal force) is quite infinitesimal. That minor of an orbital decay would cause a satellite (or other orbiting asset) to hit atmo at a very shallow angle, and burn long before getting in range of cameras, let alone the naked eye.
Yes. However, you would not see something fall from the sky like this. As is mentioned elsewhere in this thread, it would burn most of its mass off before billowing into flames like this.
Directed energy weapons, as far as we know in the real world, are nothing at all like star wars blasters. It's like pointing a microwave oven at something. You don't shatter it, you zap it. Such would require sustained energy direction over minutes or hours, but the actual kinetic force (as opposed to the thermal force) is quite infinitesimal. That minor of an orbital decay would cause a satellite (or other orbiting asset) to hit atmo at a very shallow angle, and burn long before getting in range of cameras, let alone the naked eye.