In the early morning of Monday, December 30, 2024, residents of the village of Mukuku, in Makueni County in Kenya, discovered that an object coming from the sky that was unusual to say the least had just crashed to the ground. A metal ring 2.5 meters in diameter weighing nearly 500 kg. Two weeks after this spectacular fall, neither the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) nor international experts have managed to unravel the mystery of its origin.
Tracks that crumble under scientific analysis
Initial examinations identified the object as a potential separation ringan essential component of rockets used to secure payloads during launch before releasing them into orbit. Normally, these rings are designed to either burn up as they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere thanks to frictional forces or break up into smaller pieces destined to fall into uninhabited ocean areas.
Faced with the proliferation of speculation on social networks, the Kenya Space Agency released a statement on X to put an end to the rumors. Internet users had, in fact, pointed the finger at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as the potential owner of the metal ring, suggesting the possibility of compensation for the inhabitants of Mukuku. “ The Kenya Space Agency and relevant authorities are handling this matter to ensure a thorough and accurate assessment. We advise the public to remain cautious regarding these allegations and to await official findings. », declared the Kenyan space agency on its X account (see below).
The Ring of Mystery
The United States Space Force (USSF) Orbital Surveillance Unit has proposed a new lead: the ring could be item 33155technically called “ 2008-034C “. This is a SYLDA (Ariane Double Launch System) adapter from flight V184, put into orbit on July 7, 2008.
This cylindrical shell-shaped structure, used on Ariane rockets, allows two satellites to be stacked one on top of the other in the launcher fairing. After its launch, this adapter was abandoned in a geostationary transfer orbit. According to Space Force calculations, its atmospheric reentry haswould have coincided with the fall of the ring in Kenya, December 30, 2024.
However, this theory is not necessarily the most convincingas Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell explains: “ The USSF struggles to accurately track objects with very low orbital inclination as they descend to low altitude. The estimate of their falling point is therefore based on extrapolations of data dating back a week, which makes any prediction highly uncertain. “. So much so that the expert questions the very origin of the object: “ It is suggested that it is space debris, but the evidence remains marginal. I’m not entirely convinced this ring came from space ».
Marco Langbroek, lecturer in astrodynamics at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, brings new elements to the filer. If the hypothesis of the SYLDA adapter seems unlikely, other clues nevertheless suggest a spatial origin: “ Other fragments consistent with space debris have been discovered several kilometers away, including what look like carbon casings and insulation sheets ».
A case reminiscent of the story of Alejandro Otero, a resident of Naples, Florida, who saw his house being pierced by space debris on March 8, 2024. The object was identified as a fragment of a pallet of used batteries dropped by NASA from the International Space Station in 2021, leading the affected family to sue the space agency.
Each year, there are between 200 and 400 objects of human origin that re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. If the probability of impact in inhabited areas remains minimal, they are not zero. The Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects of 1972 stipulates that the launching country must compensate for any damage caused by its space debrisprovided that one can prove neglect.
If space debris, for example, a piece of a rocket, falls on your house and destroys it, it is normally the country that launched the rocket that must compensate you. For the launching country to be held responsible, it must be proven that it made an error (design error, launch error or maintenance fault). If no error is found; negligence; of this typethe launching country may not be held responsible.
The problem here, we don’t know where this object comes from. In the case of unclaimed objects, the absence of an identified person responsible therefore leaves victims without any recourse. The mystery of this ring therefore remains perfectly complete.
- A mysterious 500 kg metal ring crashed in Kenya, but its origin remains unknown despite investigations.
- Experts suggest it could be space debris, although there is insufficient evidence to confirm this hypothesis.
- Without an identified responsible party, no compensation can be claimed, leaving residents with this unsolved mystery.
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