Space junk lands on an Australian farm

Residents of the Australian state of New South Wales found three large pieces of space debris She fell into a farm, one of which was 3 meters long.

Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist who examined the wreckage, advertiser Which may be parts of a capsule SpaceX Dragon They were used during the Crew-1 mission in 2020. Some parts even had serial numbers.

Scientists already knew that dragon pieces could fall into the area at the beginning of July. The fragments that were found were also on the estimated path of the corpse, Says Astronomer Jonathan McDowell.

Sheep farmer Meek Miners discovered the 3-meter-high object in his field on July 25, tells Australian Broadcasting Corporation. His neighbor also found debris in his field the previous week, and people in the area also reported hearing a loud bang on the ninth day – most likely from a capsule that had fallen to the ground.

The Australian Space Agency and New South Wales Police are investigating the objects to confirm they are related to spaceflight. “Ultimately, SpaceX, or at least the United States, will have to make a statement saying whether or not they want to keep it,” Tucker says.

The risk of space debris hitting someone is low. Scientists can track large pieces to predict where they will land. but, The problem will increase With space travel also ramping up, discoveries like these will be more common.