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Strange, smoldering metal object discovered in Australia outback It was probably fragments of a Chinese rocket that crashed on the territory of the country space agency Said.
The metallic debris with components made of carbon fiber was first spotted by mine workers on Saturday near a remote access road about 30 km (19 miles) east of Newman. Western Australia,
australian space agency Said it could be part of a rocket, adding it would conduct “further technical analysis to identify its origin”.
“The agency continues to work with global counterparts to determine the exact nature and origin of the debris,” it said.
Space analyst Marco Langbroek said in a blog post on Monday that the strange debris resembles a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV), which holds high-pressure gases and liquids inside the rocket.
Although these rocket components can often survive reentry, experts say it is rare to find them on the ground intact and smoldering hot.
“It was reportedly burning when it was found, which is unusual and contrary to expectations space debris,” Dr. Langbroeck wrote.
He says that if the debris is indeed considered a piece of space junk, it was likely a recent impact at the time it was found.
Exploring several possible sources from space, Dr Langbroek said: “There was only one in an orbit that would be equivalent to passing close to Newman in the early hours of 18 October”.
It could be orbital debris and possibly the upper stage of the Chinese Jilong 3 — also known as the Smart Dragon 3 rocket — that fell back to Earth on Saturday.
“It may actually be the upper stage itself, given the large size the photographs suggest (and also given that the Geelong 3 upper stage is reportedly a solid fuel stage),” wrote Dr. Langbroek of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Dutch Delft University of Technology.
While not much is known about the components of the Gelong 3 rocket, the aerospace engineer said the Chinese object is a good contender to be the source of the Outback debris.
“So it seems that the Geelong 3 upper stage is a good candidate for the origin of the possible space debris object found near Newman on October 18,” they wrote.
Alternatively, instead of the COPV from the upper stage, it may actually be the upper stage itself, given the large size the photographs show,” Dr. Langbroek said. The small but powerful Chinese rocket capable of carrying payloads at a competitive cost delivered nine satellites into orbit in February, 2024. Jilong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, off the coast of Yangjiang in southern Guangdong. But was blown up from a floating barge. Province, the second launch of the rocket in just two months.