A large mysterious object that was found on a remote West Australian beach – initially thought by many to be a rocket debris from India’s recent moon mission Chandrayaan-3 has now been moved to a secret location. The origins of this object still remain unknown, however, it is widely believed to be debris from a space vehicle. India’s space agency ISRO had earlier denied that it had any links to the object.
The Australian Space Agency said the cylindrical golden-coloured object is most likely a solid rocket motor casing, The Guardian reported.
Discovery of ‘space object’ on Australian beach
The 2.5 metres-tall object was found near Green Head, some 250 kilometres north of Perth on Saturday.
Initial theories suggested that it could be a part of a downed airliner. Police had placed a guarded cordon around the object due to fears of a potential public health risk.
On Wednesday, in a statement, the Australian police said that “Contrary to speculation, there is no evidence to support the theory that the object is connected in any way to a commercial aircraft.”
“After extensive consultation with state and national agencies with expertise in maritime, aviation, defence and space industries, it is believed the object is related to a rocket system,” they added.
What is the object exactly?
Experts are still working to identify the origins of the mysterious object. Reportedly, the Australian Space Agency has now taken over the task of identifying the object’s origins.
“Due to the initial assessment of the object indicating it was space industry related, and could potentially be space debris, additional precautions were taken to ensure the object posed no danger to the community,” said a police spokesman.
“All necessary measures have been taken to mitigate any potential hazards and the object is now safely contained and stored while the Australian Space Agency works to confirm its origin.”
The Space Agency has speculated that it might be part of a foreign space vehicle.
Taking to Twitter, the agency said: “We are currently making enquiries related to this object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia.”
“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.”
We are currently making enquiries related to this object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia.
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.
[More in comments] pic.twitter.com/41cRuhwzZk
— Australian Space Agency (@AusSpaceAgency) July 17, 2023
On social media too, netizens were quick to reach conclusions, with many drawing comparisons of the objects’ appearance with the fuel cylinder that could have come from the third stage of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket (LVM3-M4 rocket) or the recently launched Chandrayaan-3.
While the debris has been confirmed as part of a rocket, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief, S Somanath, clarified that it cannot be definitively identified as Indian without further analysis. “We can’t confirm it’s ours unless we analyse it,” S Somanath told BBC.
(With inputs from agencies)
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