SpaceX debris discovered in a sheep paddock in Australia
SpaceX debris discovered in a sheep paddock in Australia
Authorities confirmed Thursday that a charred piece of space junk discovered jutting from a paddock by an Australian sheep farmer was part of one of Elon Musk's SpaceX missions.
The ethereal-looking debris, which is thought to have fallen to Earth on July 9, was discovered last week in Dalgety, a remote area near Australia's Snowy Mountains about five hours southwest of Sydney.
"It was kind of exciting and weird all at the same time," astrophysicist Brad Tucker told AFP after visiting the site after local farmers contacted him last month.
He compared discovering the large chunk embedded in an empty field to something out of the science fiction film "2001: A Space Odyssey."
In a statement, Australia's space agency confirmed the debris came from one of Musk's missions and urged locals to report any further discoveries to SpaceX.
"The Agency has confirmed the debris is from a SpaceX mission and continues to engage with our counterparts in the US, as well as other parts of the Commonwealth and local authorities as appropriate," a spokesman for the Australian Space Agency said.