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Police turn to tech to identify ‘space debris’ found on outback WA minesite
- On Saturday , mine workers found a charred, smouldering object about 30 kilometres east of Newman, Western Australia, and the Australian Space Agency confirmed Monday it is suspected space debris.
- Experts note that space debris forms when satellites and launch vehicles re-enter uncontrollably, with some composite-overwrapped pressure vessels surviving the atmospheric heating and breakup.
- Initial forensic checks show the debris is carbon fibre and may be a composite-overwrapped pressure vessel or rocket tank, as suggested in an image caption attributed to Marco Langbroek, who flagged the Chinese Jielong 3 upper stage as a likely source.
- Authorities launched a multi-agency response involving the Western Australia Police Force, Australian Space Agency and Department of Fire and Emergency Services to secure the object, which poses no threat, and the ATSB ruled out a commercial aircraft origin.
- Past cases and expert warnings underline that large debris landing on land is rare, though Australia saw Skylab debris and Green Head, Western Australia , while low Earth orbit debris threatens spacecraft at 18,000 mph.
Insights by Ground AI
44 Articles
44 Articles
Miners found it in the middle of a road, and based on analysis, it is almost certain that it came from the upper stage of the Qilong-3 rocket.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources44
Leaning Left9Leaning Right9Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution34% Left, 33% Center, 33% Right
Bias Distribution
- 34% of the sources lean Left, 33% of the sources are Center, 33% of the sources lean Right
34% Left
L 34%
C 33%
R 33%
Factuality
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