Australian Space Agency reveals origin of space junk discovered on Green Head beach in Western Australia
/ By Phoebe Pin and Alice AngeloniA mysterious object that washed up on a West Australian beach is most likely space debris from a satellite launch vehicle, the Australian Space Agency has concluded.
Key points:
- The mysterious object was first discovered on Green Head beach on July 16
- The Australian Space Agency confirmed the object was part of an Indian rocket
- Locals want to see the item remain in the area as a tourist attraction
The discovery of the strange object earlier this month on Green Head beach, about 250 kilometres north of Perth, made international headlines and left locals scratching their heads.
The object was under police guard for almost a week as the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and other agencies determined whether it was a risk to the public.
After police ruled out a risk to the community, a front end loader was used to transport it to a secure facility nearby as experts tried to establish its origin.
In a statement, the Australian Space Agency said investigators believe the object is most likely debris from an expended third-stage of a polar satellite launch vehicle operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Earlier this month, European Space Agency engineer Andrea Boyd said the object most likely fell from an Indian rocket that had launched a satellite.
"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 said at the time.
She said the engines were designed to fall off after launch and usually ended up in the Indian Ocean, but that it was the responsibility of the owner to dispose of the object safely.
The debris remains in storage and the agency will work with Indian authorities to determine what should happen to it.
Object could be tourist attraction
WA Premier Roger Cook has suggested the piece could be stored in the WA Museum alongside space debris from NASA's Skylab space station, which was discovered in Balladonia near Esperance in 1979.
"Perhaps this will be an addition to the Sky Lab pieces that we have in the museum and might add to our growing collection of space debris that seems to be collecting in WA," Mr Cook said.
But the Green Head community say there is interest in making it a local tourist attraction.
Shire of Coorow president Moira Girando said the council remains interested in keeping the item.
"The next thing we need to do is wait on the Indian government to see what their actions are," she said.
"If they don't want to claim it and they don't want it back, I would hope it would be able to be retained within the Shire of Coorow near Green Head," she said.
"At this stage we do not have a museum at Green Head or at Leeman, which are coastal towns, so I would think that it would probably be displayed in one of the local parks.
"Everyone is asking about it and everyone's commenting on it. I think the general consensus is to keep it in the Shire of Coorow."