Authorities in Western Australia are working to determine the origin and purpose of a mysterious large, gold-colored canister that washed up on a remote beach.
The object, estimated to be 2.5 meters long and wide, was discovered by local residents in Green Head, located about 155 miles north of Perth, Australia. Police have been guarding the item, which appears to be made of metal.
In response to the discovery, the Australian Space Agency has been coordinating with international counterparts to gather more information. Officials suspect the object may be a component of a foreign-launched rocket.
A mystery object suspected of being part of a space launch washed ashore along the Australian coastline, the Australian Space Agency revealed in a statement on July 17, 2023. An investigation into is origin is ongoing.
The military has been called in to review video footage of the canister. Local authorities have assured the public that the object has been analyzed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Chemistry Centre of Western Australia, determining that it is safe and poses no risk to the community.
Speculation on social media about the origin of the object suggested it may have come from a commercial aircraft, but police have dismissed this possibility. Some experts in the field of space exploration believe the canister could be the fuel tank of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, which launched on April 22, 2023.
Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist from the Australian National University, explained that if the object is indeed space debris, it likely originated from the early stages of a rocket launch.
"When a rocket launches, there’s usually multiple stages and often the first few parts separate before entering orbit, so if it is space junk, it is from the early parts of a rocket launch as there’s no evidence of the scorching patterns you would see on things that have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere," said Tucker to a British media.
This incident follows a previous sighting of a mysterious missile-shaped object found off the coast of North Beach in Perth in June. Australian Defence Force personnel detonated the object, which was identified as a marker marine flare used for distress signals by sea vessels during emergencies.