Space Debris Found In Maharashtra Village Likely From Chinese Rocket: Report

An official from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told TOI that the timing of this debris closely matched the timing of the re-entry of a Chinese rocket launched in February 2021.

The debris crashed in Maharashtra on Saturday night | ANI

New Delhi: The space debris found in the Maharashtra village field on Saturday might be from a Chinese rocket that was launched last year.

A large metal ring and sphere fell in a field on Saturday night after a blaze in the sky. According to a report by news agency PTI, The metal ring -- reportedly two to three meters (6.5-10 feet) in diameter and weighing over 40 kilograms (90 pounds) -- was discovered in a village field late on Saturday, district collector Ajay Gulhane said.

Gulhane added that another object -- a large, metal ball around half a metre (1.5 feet) in diameter -- fell in another village in the district. "It has been collected for examination. We had sent (junior officials) to every village in the district to find if more parts of objects, if any, are lying scattered,” he added.

However, both the objects did not cause any structural damage. According to a report by Time of India, the villagers first expected an explosion and went to hide in their homes. 

“We were preparing a community feast, when the sky blazed with the red disc which fell with a bang on an open plot in the village," an unnamed woman in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district told TOI.

"People ran to their home fearing (an) explosion and remained inside for nearly half an hour,” she added.

An official from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told TOI that the timing of this debris closely matched the timing of the re-entry of a Chinese rocket launched in February 2021.

"When rocket bodies survive atmospheric re-entry, the rocket parts such as nozzles, rings, and tanks can impact on Earth," another ISRO official said.

Space-watcher Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics tweeted that the ring was consistent with a piece of China's Long March 3B rocket.

Objects generate an immense amount of heat when they enter the earth’s atmosphere due to friction that causes them to burn and disintegrate. However, the larger parts may not destroy completely ending up on the earth’s surface causing damage and even casualties. Though the risk is low.

In 2020, the debris from another Chinese Long March rocket fell in the villages of the Ivory coast causing structural damage, but no casualties were reported.