New Constraints on the Composition and Initial Speed of CNEOS 2014-01-08

We study the newly released light curve from the fireball of the first interstellar meteor CNEOS 2014-01-08. The measured velocity and three observed flares down to an altitude of 18.7 km imply ambient ram pressure in the range of 113-194 MPa when the meteor disintegrated. The required yield strength is ≳20 times higher than stony meteorites and ≳2 times larger than iron meteorites. The implied slowdown in the atmosphere suggests an initial speed of about 66.5 km s^-1, strengthening the case for an interstellar origin of this meteor and making it an outlier relative to the velocity dispersion of local stars.