Mine workers in Western Australia found a “smoking slab” speculated to be part of the upper stage of a Chinese space rocket that fell back to Earth, according to Space.com.
What’s happening?
On October 18, workers found a smoldering slab of metal sitting in the dirt about 19 miles east of Newman.
Police arrived at the scene and took note of the crash site before joining with other authorities to determine what the object was and where it came from.
Authorities described the debris as made of carbon fiber, which is commonly used for spacecraft structures due to its strength-to-weight ratio, which allows lighter structures to carry heavier loads, and heat resistance.
“It reportedly was burning when found, which is unusual and against expectations for space debris,” said Marco Langbroek, an astrodynamics specialist at Delft University of Technology, in a blog post.
The object was ruled out as originating from a traditional aircraft by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, according to News.com.au. The Australian Space Agency said it is conducting further technical analysis with local authorities to verify the object’s origin.
Why is space junk a concern?
According to Northeastern Global News, space policy specialist Anncy Thresher has said “99% of the stuff we’ve launched from Earth is sitting up there.”
Since space junk does not always burn up fully, heavier pieces of orbital junk can come back down and cause damage or fires. The sustainability challenge is compounded by rising rocket or satellite launch activity.
For example, Starlink already has 8,575 satellites orbiting and periodically loses satellites that then reenter Earth’s orbit. Luckily, a startup created “Space Armor” shield tiles to harden satellites for impact and reduce debris-creating breakdowns.
What’s being done to mitigate space junk?
On October 20, the Australian Space Agency made a statement saying that the debris was most likely from a propellant tank or pressure vessel from a spacecraft. It added that it would continue work to determine the exact origin by collaborating with global agencies.
“The Agency is committed to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, including debris mitigation and continues to highlight this on the international stage,” a spokesperson for the space agency said in the statement.
One Space.com reader pointed out that it is the responsibility of the companies and agencies that are launching space junk to ensure it can safely get back down.
“With all of the space junk orbiting the globe it is just a matter of time before burning piece of debris this size lands in a densely populated area. If you put it up, you should have to bring it down at the end of its lifespan,” the reader commented.
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