A UN panel has shared more details about pieces of space junk found in the Snowy Mountains of NSW, while a fourth piece has also been confirmed as belonging to SpaceX.
Key Points:
- A fourth piece of space debris found in the Snowy Mountains belongs to SpaceX
- A United Nations committee has provided details regarding the first three fragments
- Australia’s space agency wants the public to contact SpaceX’s waste hotline if more parts are found
The last piece was found by a rancher in Tumbarumba in August, who initially mistook it for garbage.
The first two pieces of debris were located on neighboring Dalgety sheep farms in July, while a third piece later turned up on a property near Jindabyne.
The Australian Space Agency confirmed last month that the first three pieces belonged to a SpaceX mission and have now confirmed the same conditions for the fourth piece.
“The Australian Space Agency has worked with SpaceX to confirm that the object found at Tumbarumba is from the same SpaceX mission as the recent debris in the Snowy Mountains area of southern New South Wales,” said a spokesperson
Mick Miners came across this piece of space junk while rounding up his sheep in July. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)
“The agency continues to engage with our global counterparts on next steps regarding each piece of debris, including whether it will need to be returned and what can be learned from this event.”
ANU astrophysicist Brad Tucker, who has inspected each piece in person, says it’s “not a huge surprise” that the last piece belongs to SpaceX.
But there could still be more pieces.
“You can find out that it was part of one of the internal panels,” he said.
“The composition was the same, the brand was the same and it was on this flight path.”
Jock Wallace, a neighbor of Mr Miners, also found a piece of space debris in July. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)
“This thing is traveling so fast, so even a minute or two at the speed it was traveling when it hit could be spread over a couple of hundred kilometers.”
More details appear
The discovery of fragments came just weeks after locals in the region reported hearing a sonic boom on July 9, believed to have been caused by the trunk of the SpaceX Dragon capsule re-entering the earth’s atmosphere
It captured international attention, with the United Nations General Assembly’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space the latest to comment on the event.
A committee speech on August 29 has revealed new details about the first three parts that were attached to the SpaceX plane that launched on November 16, 2020 and launched on May 2, 2021.
A piece of space junk was also found in the Snowy Mountains, near Jindabyne. (Provided by Nick Lodge)
They revealed that the fragments were made of titanium, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber and insulating materials and weighed 20, 35 and 100 kilograms respectively.
“The parts are not considered to be hazardous or harmful in nature,” the statement said.
“They remain in private custody.”
A space junk puzzle
The ABC understands that SpaceX officials visited the Snowy Mountains of NSW on August 10 to inspect the first three pieces, after publicly acknowledging the incident for the first (and so far only) days earlier.
Tucker said the UN Committee’s speech is a formal process, but also shows some transparency with how Australia and the United States are handling the incident.
“This is a very clear document that says, ‘This is what happened when SpaceX came out,'” he said.
“It’s kind of nice to show that an international obligation is being met.”
Brad Tucker was not surprised that the Australian Space Agency confirmed that the fourth piece of space debris also belongs to SpaceX. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)
Mr. Tucker anticipates that a similar address will occur in the near future in relation to this fourth piece found at Tumbarumba.
But a question mark remains over SpaceX’s decision about what to do with the found fragments.
“Technically it’s still owned by SpaceX, but it’s still unclear whether or not they want to return it and how that process will play out,” he said.
“I’m still inclined to say that SpaceX doesn’t want to bring it back, but I could be wrong.”
The Australian Space Agency is asking the community not to treat space junk and to report any sightings to the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or email recovery@spacex.com.
SpaceX has been contacted for comment.
This piece of space debris, found on Mr Miners property near Dalgety, is believed to be a fin from SpaceX’s dragon trunk. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)