A waste like no other. In early July, Australian farmers found two pieces of debris in the middle of their field, one of them firmly planted in the ground. They quickly contacted the Australian Space Agency (ASA), because they thought they had found rocket parts. It was good for them as the ASA confirmed that it was debris from a SpaceX machine.
Thanks to a serial number found on one of the pieces, Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University, was able to verify that it was the remains of a rocket that had taken off in November 2020.
“The agency confirms that the debris is from a SpaceX mission and continues to discuss it with our colleagues in the United States,” an ASA spokesman said.
“If the community spots other suspicious debris, they should not try to tamper with it or report it. They should contact the SpaceX debris hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or [email protected],” it says.
Luckily, no material or human damage was caused by the fall of these objects. Also, Brad Tucker told the guardian they have since found other debris nearby. The Australian government is now in communication with SpaceX to find out if the Elon Musk-led company will recover the debris or not.
Before SpaceX, China
It is very rare for pieces of this size to fall back to Earth. They often disintegrate on entering the atmosphere.
Last week, a runaway Chinese rocket entered the atmosphere and was largely destroyed. However, suspicious remains that may belong to the ship have been found near populated areas in Malaysia and Indonesia. Discoveries that had provoked a reaction from the head of NASA.
“All nations conducting space activities must follow best practices” because falling objects of this size “pose significant risks of causing loss of life or property,” tweeted Bill Nelson.
Source: BFM TV
