Mystery Object Found On An Australian Beach Could Be From A 20-Year-Old Indian Rocket, Say Space Experts: Report
The mysterious object was discovered on July 15, 2023, near the beach in Green Head in Western Australia, about 250 kilometres north of the city of Perth.
The mysterious dome-shaped object that recently washed up on a remote Australian beach is speculated to be a part of an Indian rocket, according to space experts. The object is believed to be a 20-year-old launch vehicle used for launching satellites, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News reported. The mysterious object was discovered on July 15, 2023, near the beach in Green Head in Western Australia, about 250 kilometres north of the city of Perth.
The Australian Space Agency (ASA) has formally communicated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a PTI report said.
Several national agencies, including the ASA, are working to identify the origin of the object.
According to an ABC News report, a front-end loader wrapped the object in plastic, following which it was driven to a locked storage facility. Andrea Boyd, a European Space Agency (ESA) engineer, said experts believed the object fell to the ground from an Indian rocket launching a satellite.
Quoting Boyd, the report said the experts are pretty sure based on the shape and size of the object that it is an upper-stage engine from an Indian rocket used for a lot of different missions. She also said that India has been using these tickets since the 1990s, and has launched more than 50 missions.
Boyd stated that based on the amount of barnacles, the object is probably not a part of any rocket launched this year.
However, when an object is thrown around the object, it tends to look older than it would normally, Boyd said.
She explained that it takes a lot of effort to get up to orbit, and hence, the first, second and third stage engines usually fall off and end up in the Indian Ocean. Therefore there is a possibility that the object came with the currents and washed up on the beach.
Boyd said that there is a United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and they have an outer space treaty that everyone has signed saying that whoever launches something into space is responsible for it right until the very end, according to the report.
She also said that the ASA is looking into the matter, and is talking to India's space agency to try and collaborate on cleaning this up properly.
Boyd also called Western Australia a "lucky spot" for space junk. She has advised against touching the object.
In a statement, the Western Australia Police Force said they are coordinating a joint investigation into the origins of the object, and urged people to refrain from conclusions.
They warned that the object is being treated as hazardous, until its origin can be established.
They also said it appears that the object did not originate from a commercial aircraft.
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