A large chunk of suspected space debris has been found in a remote part of the Australian desert, the country’s space agency confirmed Monday.
The charred and smoldering object was found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, according to the Australian Space Agency. It’s not yet clear what the object is or where it came from, but officials said it’s probably a spent rocket part.
“The debris is likely a propellant tank or pressure vessel from a space launch vehicle,” the Australian Space Agency wrote in a post on X.
The agency did not provide details about the object’s size or weight, but wrote that it is working with local authorities and other space agencies to investigate and determine “the exact nature of the debris and its origin.”
The agency did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for further information.
The object was discovered Saturday on a remote access road by workers from a nearby mine, according to a report from Sky News, which said that local authorities did not think the debris posed any threat to public safety. NBC News has not independently confirmed these details. (Sky News is a division of Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.)
Government space agencies and private space companies often let depleted or defunct rocket parts and satellites burn up in the atmosphere as a way to destroy them. Sometimes, however, pieces can survive the fiery process of atmospheric re-entry. Still, it’s relatively rare for space debris to fall over land, given that the planet is mostly covered by oceans — and even more rare for pieces to fall over densely populated areas.
In recent years, though, experts have raised concerns about the growing problem of space debris, particularly as launches into orbit have become more frequent.
Last summer, a 90-pound slab of space debris was discovered on a mountain trail in North Carolina. It was later identified as part of the service module from a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that had carried four astronauts back to Earth from the International Space Station earlier that year.
In March 2024, a 1.6-pound piece of metal tore through a home in Naples, Florida. A subsequent investigation found that the metal debris came from a cargo pallet that had been intentionally released from the International Space Station to burn up in the atmosphere.
Tens of thousands of pieces of space junk — and millions more smaller bits of orbital debris — are cluttered in low Earth orbit, the narrow band of space where many telecommunications and GPS satellites circle the planet. These objects fly through orbit at up to 18,000 mph, threatening functioning spacecraft and posing safety risks to astronauts on the International Space Station.
For those reasons, experts have long warned against overcrowding in space. NASA and other space agencies have even funded research into and technology demonstrations of how to clean up the large amount of junk in orbit.
The Australian Space Agency said on X that it “is committed to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, including debris mitigation and continues to highlight this on the international stage.”
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