"According to reporting from Sky News, the charred debris was discovered by mine workers on a remote access road. Parts of it were still burning, with smoke rising into the air, photos provided by the Western Australia Police Force show. Its size and weight haven't been shared yet, but the police said that "initial assessments suggest it's made of carbon fiber and consistent with previously identified space debris, such as composite-overwrapped pressure vessels or rocket tanks.""
"Experts speculate that it may have come from the upper stage of a Chinese Jielong rocket. "The last launch was late September, so this has been barreling around the Earth and quite suddenly has got pulled back to the atmosphere," Alice Gorman, a space archaeologist at Flinders University, told ABC Radio Perth. "A month ago, similar pieces were discovered in Argentina," Gorman added."
A charred, burning object identified as probable space debris was found on a remote desert road in Western Australia. Authorities describe the object as likely a propellant tank or pressure vessel from a space launch vehicle and note its composite, carbon-fiber construction. Mine workers discovered the debris and photographed smoke rising from it. Experts suggest a possible origin in the upper stage of a Chinese Jielong rocket, noting similar pieces found in Argentina after a late-September launch. The incident underscores increasing pollution from more frequent rocket launches and growing numbers of expendable satellites and reentries.
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