Authorities are investigating whether a cylindrical object the size of a small car that washed up on a remote Australian beach was space debris from a foreign missile
From
ROD McGUIRK Associated Press
Jul 18, 2023 2:22 am ET
• 3 min reading
CANBERRA, Australia – Authorities on Tuesday were investigating whether a cylindrical object the size of a small car that washed up on a remote Australian beach was space debris from a foreign missile.
Police cordoned off the barnacle-ridden object after it was discovered late Sunday in Green Head, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the city of Perth.
Australia’s space agency said it was working with other space agencies to identify the object, which appears to be partially made of woven material.
“The object may have come from a foreign launch vehicle and we are in contact with colleagues around the world who may be able to provide more information,” the agency tweeted.
European Space Agency engineer Andrea Boyd said her colleagues believed the object washed up from the Indian Ocean fell from an Indian rocket launching a satellite.
“Based on the shape and size, we’re pretty sure it’s an Indian missile upper stage engine, used for many different missions,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Whoever shot the object into space would be responsible for its disposal.
“There’s a United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and they have an Outer Space Treaty, which everyone has signed, which says that whoever puts something in space is responsible for it to the end,” Boyd said.
The Indian Space Research Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Western Australia Police said in a statement on Monday that a government chemical analysis found the property to be safe and “there is currently no risk to the community”.
Authorities had previously classified the device as dangerous and urged the public to stay away from it.
Police said the device would be removed after formally identifying its origin.
“Police will maintain the security of the object until it is removed and the public is urged to stay away from the site,” the statement said.
Some early media reports suggested the find could be part of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 that disappeared in the Indian Ocean in 2014, killing 239 people. But this theory was quickly dismissed.
Curious locals quickly gathered to pose for photos with the object on Sunday before police arrived.
Australian National University astrophysicist and cosmologist Brad Tucker said the object “definitely looks clunky in space.”
A rocket upper stage could contain the carcinogenic fuel hydrazine, so bystanders should keep their distance, Tucker said.