Photo: theguardian.com
Miners in Western Australia have discovered a mysterious burning object made of metal and carbon fiber on a remote desert road near Newman. Early assessments suggest it is space debris—likely the fourth stage of China’s Jielong rocket launched in September.
According to leading space archaeologist Dr. Alice Gorman from Flinders University, the rocket debris unexpectedly reentered Earth’s atmosphere without any prior forecasts or warnings. “It’s very surprising. When I searched for reentry predictions, I found nothing, which confirms how sudden this event was,” Gorman said.
Western Australia Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Preliminary analysis indicates the object is made of carbon fiber and may be a composite tank or fuel reservoir—typical of aerospace engineering. Engineers from the Australian Space Agency are now conducting further technical evaluation.
Emergency services were called around 2:00 p.m. after the object was spotted along a remote road leading to a mining site. The Australian Space Agency, local police, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and mining operators are all involved in the inquiry.
Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), emphasized that space debris is becoming a growing problem as rocket launches increase. ESA has developed a “Zero Debris Charter” requiring spacecraft to be safely deorbited at the end of their missions.
Experts stress the need for better end-of-life planning for spacecraft to prevent uncontrolled reentries. Gorman noted that fuel tanks are often made of steel, titanium alloys, and carbon composites—materials with high melting points that rarely burn up completely in the atmosphere.
