MAKUENI, Kenya — An over 1,000-pound chunk of what is believed to be space debris landed in a village in Kenya in December, and now, the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) is investigating.
According to a statement from the KSA, the object landed in Mukuku Village in Makueni County in the southern part of the country around 3 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2024. The Agency described the object as a “metallic ring”, measuring around 2.5 meters (around 8 feet) in diameter and weighing about 500 kilograms (just over 1100 pounds).
The KSA said officials rushed to the scene upon hearing the object had fallen, securing the area and retrieving the debris alongside a multi-agency team and local authorities. The object is now reportedly under the Agency’s custody for further investigation.
The Agency stated the debris was a fragment of a “space object”, which they believe at this time to be a separation ring from a rocket. The KSA said objects like this are designed to burn up in the atmosphere on reentry or fall over unoccupied areas like oceans.
The KSA stated the incident is an isolated case, which the Agency will “investigate and address using the established framework under the International Space Law”.
“The Agency wishes to thank the local residents of Mukuku Village for their prompt action in reporting this incident to the authorities and for their cooperation in ensuring public safety,” said the KSA in the statement.
The object poses “no immediate threat” to the public, according to the KSA. Experts will reportedly work to analyze the object and identify the owner. The Agency encouraged the public to report any suspicious objects or unusual occurrences to authorities.
According to NASA, a piece of orbital debris falls to Earth about once a day, with most burning up in the atmosphere or falling into the ocean. NASA states most space debris is smaller than one centimeter across, but given that debris typically moves around 18,000 miles per hour, even a small piece can still do significant damage. Because of this, all pieces of space debris larger than 10 centimeters are tracked by radar or telescopes, according to NASA.
More information on space debris can be found at this link.
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