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A Chinese rocket deorbited over Minnesota and left this in a farmer's cornfield
The object matches the 11-foot upper stage of a Zhuque-2E rocket that deployed 10 Qianfan satellites, officials said.
- On Tuesday, a large piece of space debris was discovered in a Minnesota cornfield, identified as the upper stage of a Zhuque-2E rocket launched from China on September 15, 2026.
- Launched from China on September 15, 2026, the Zhuque-2E rocket successfully deployed 10 Qianfan satellites into polar orbit before performing a deorbit burn to drop its upper stage from space.
- Measuring 11 feet, or 3.35 meters, in diameter, the debris is unusually large for an object surviving reentry, having fallen to Earth the same day the rocket launched.
- LandSpace, the Chinese company that manufactures the Zhuque rocket family, has not publicly acknowledged the incident, though international law holds the launching country liable for any ground damage caused.
- Chinese rockets have faced previous issues with unguided reentries, unlike SpaceX missions that typically reserve propellant for guided disposal, a practice aimed at limiting space debris accumulation.
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A Minnesota farmer took a surprise by finding a huge piece of metal among his corn crops. It all points to the fact that it could be remnants of the Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket, which returned to the atmosphere in September after putting ten satellites in orbit.
·Madrid, Spain
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left3Leaning Right4Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
L 38%
12%
R 50%
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