Firefall

The Firefall is the name given to asteroid collision on Earth.

Scientists from across the globe had agreed that there would be a near-miss event, but almost no chance the asteroid would collide with Earth. The massive asteroid shattered as it passed the moon's gravitational well.

The asteroid did not crash directly into the Earth. Instead, the asteroid was captured by the Earth's gravity and pulled into a low orbit where it collided with satellites, orbital tethers and anything else unfortunate to be in its path. Eventually, under the influence of orbital decay, it began to strew its remains across the Earth's surface.