The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched an investigation into an event involving metal debris spread across a field in central India, following the appearance of a mysterious flashing light in the sky captured by villagers last Saturday.
"It is reported that a metal ring and a cylinder-like object was found in an open field in Pawanpur Village. As requested by the district administration, a team of scientists from ISRO is visiting Pawanpur for inspection and further scientific inquiry", India's space agency said in a statement.
The space exploration agency received input from several sources on the mysterious flashing light seen in the sky during the evening hours on 3 April in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
In their preliminary study, astronomers claimed that the light and space junk seen in India were part of a Chinese rocket launched in February of last year.
Astronomer and leading orbit-watcher Jonathan McDowell observed that the third stage of a (Chang Zheng) Long 3 March B (CZ-3B) started losing altitude and energy after orbiting in a defined orbit for a year.
"This 3-metre-diameter ring is consistent with being part of the CZ-3B third stage tankage. It was found in Sindewahi (79.6E 20.3N) in eastern Maharashtra", McDowell said.
The Aerospace Corporation estimates that the rocket re-entered the atmosphere around 6:30 UTC on Saturday.