Mysterious object found on Australian beach could be space junk

The Australian Space Agency has launched an investigation into whether a mysterious cylindrical object that washed up on a remote western beach is space junk from a foreign rocket.

The barnacle-encrusted device, which is about the size of a small car, was found on Sunday at Green Head, a town about 250km (155 miles) north of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Curious locals gathered to pose for photos before police arrived and cordoned off the area.The Australian Space Agency has launched an investigation into whether a mysterious cylindrical object that washed up on a remote western beach is space junk from a foreign rocket.

The barnacle-encrusted device, which is about the size of a small car, was found on Sunday at Green Head, a town about 250km (155 miles) north of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Curious locals gathered to pose for photos before police arrived and cordoned off the area.“We’re pretty sure, based on the shape and the size, it is an upper-stage engine from an Indian rocket that’s used for a lot of different missions,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.There was no immediate comment by the Indian Space Research Organization.

Whoever launched the object into space would be responsible for its disposal.

“There is a United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and they have an Outer Space Treaty that everyone has signed, saying that whoever launches something into space is responsible for it right until the very end,” Boyd said.

Australian National University astrophysicist and cosmologist Brad Tucker was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that the object “definitely does look space chunky”.

Western Australia Police said in a statement that a government chemical analysis had determined the object was safe and “there is no current risk to the community.”