A farmer from Australia found part of a SpaceX capsule that fell from space in a field. This was confirmed by the Australian Space Agency (ASA).
The BBC writes about it.
Experts called the find "rare" and "exciting" and noted that such events may become more common over time. Researchers determined that the object landed in a field on July 9.
Later, two more fragments of the capsule were found nearby. The Australian Space Agency has asked anyone who comes across such items to call a hotline set up by SpaceX.
"It was really exciting to see it all up close, Iʼve never seen a piece of space debris fall like that," said Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker, who was called in to examine the debris.
Don Pollacco, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Warwick, confirmed that it is very rare for space debris to land on land. According to him, debris falls from space to Earth every day, but the vast majority of it ends up in the oceans.
- The only case when space debris fell on a person was registered in 1997 in the American state of Oklahoma. Then a piece of space debris landed on the shoulder of a woman named Lottie Williams. She was not hurt.
- In 2020, debris from a Chinese missile damaged several buildings in Côte dʼIvoire.