The Australian Space Agency has confirmed debris found in the NSW Snowy Mountains belongs to SpaceX.
Key points:
- Three pieces of debris have so far been located
- Snowy Mountains residents have been told more pieces could be found
- People are being told to contact a hotline if they do find more
Three pieces of space junk have so far been found in the region, which are considered to be the biggest pieces found in Australia since 1979.
Two pieces were inspected by technical experts from the Australian Space Agency and NSW Police on Saturday.
Police have since confirmed they were also aware of the third piece being found in the region.
Authorities believed the space debris belonged to SpaceX but had been awaiting confirmation.
“The agency has confirmed the debris is from a SpaceX mission and continues to engage with our counterparts in the US, as well as other parts of the Commonwealth and local authorities as appropriate,” an Australian Space Agency spokesperson said.
“The agency is operating under the Australian Government Space Re-entry Debris Plan which outlines roles and responsibilities for key Australian government agencies and committees in supporting the response to space re-entry debris.”
It comes after locals reported hearing a loud boom on July 9, which was considered to have been caused by the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which was launched in November 2020, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Locals in the regions are being told that there’s a possibility more pieces could still be found.
“If the community spots any further suspected debris they should not attempt to handle it or retrieve it,” the agency said.
“They should contact the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at [email protected].”
SpaceX has been contacted for comment.
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