The Australian Space Agency has revealed that six mysterious objects found on Queensland beaches are likely debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere. The objects, described as "space balls," washed ashore in the Forrest Beach area, north of Townsville, between Friday and Sunday.
Objects identified as pressure vessels
The agency stated that the recovered objects "appear to be pressure vessels from a space launch vehicle." In a statement, it said: "The Agency has identified the likely source. The objects' location and characteristics are consistent with debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere from orbit." The agency is continuing to engage with international authorities to formally confirm the launch vehicle and launching state.
Police and fire authorities examined the debris and enforced 50-metre exclusion zones around the objects over the weekend due to suspected hazardous chemicals. The Queensland Fire Department has determined the objects are safe, but the space agency warned that further debris may be found and advised the public to assume any suspected space debris is hazardous until advised otherwise.
Expert insight on space debris
Associate Professor Alice Gorman, a space archaeologist and space junk expert at Flinders University, explained that such debris is governed by the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty, to which Australia is a signatory. "It's the most widely accepted space treaty where the launching state retains ownership of the launch material. This means the nation that launched them owns those pressure vessels," she said. Australia must then negotiate with the launching state regarding whether they want the debris returned.
Gorman noted that a pressure vessel is used to store fuel before it is forced into the rocket engine and is made of titanium alloy, capable of surviving very high temperatures. The fact that they survived does not necessarily indicate a malfunction during launch. She added that only one person has ever been struck by falling space debris: Lottie Williams was unhurt after being hit on the shoulder by a piece of fibreglass from a US-made Delta II rocket in Tulsa in 1997.
Historical context and safety advice
When NASA's first space station, Skylab, fell to Earth over Western Australia in 1979, fuel tanks survived re-entry. The Australian Space Agency reiterated that people should never touch, move, or recover suspected space debris and should assume it is hazardous until advised otherwise, moving away and contacting emergency services.
The Guardian has requested further information from the space agency regarding the specific foreign rocket body involved.
