Australian authorities believe that a cylindrical object that washed up on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia is space junk. Experts have suggested that it is debris from an Indian rocket launch.
The item washed up last week. It appeared to be a large cylinder that had a dome top and was covered in algae and barnacles. Authorities immediately sealed off the area, and the Australian Space Agency took to Twitter to warn residents about the debris.
“The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle, and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information,” the agency wrote. “As the origin of the object is unknown, the community should avoid handling or attempting to move the object.”
Social media users promptly began speculating where the object came from, with some arguing that it may have broken off the third stage of the LVM3 rocket that was launched by India last week and could be seen from Australia. Others, though, argued that the barnacles indicated it had been in the water for weeks and the object was therefore not from the most recent launch.
Researchers have not ruled out the possibility of the object being from another Indian launch, as missions from the country usually begin at the Satish Dhawan Space Center and fly over the Indian Ocean, making it easy for debris to land in Western Australia.
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Most experts have denied claims that the object is a new piece of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, as the nature of the debris does not align with that of a Boeing 777. Part of the wing of MH370 washed up on a beach in Madagascar in 2017.
The Australian Space Agency asked that anyone who sees any other suspected space debris report the sighting to local authorities.
