STORY: A large metallic object crashed into Kenya’s Mukuku village on Tuesday.
:: Citizen TV
Officials believe it is space junk from a rocket’s launch vehicle.
The item weighs over 1,000 lbs and measures about 8 feet in diameter.
The Kenya Space Agency, or KSA, assessed the debris in the crash site in Makueni County.
Here’s KSA officer, Major Alois Were.
“It is part of a space object, which is in the form of a ring, a metallic ring, possibly from a rocket separation stage.”
Officers retrieved fragments from the site for further analysis, and to investigate the origin of the fallen object.
“We are to assess the impact to the area, identify whose space object is this so that we can use the existing legal mechanisms under international law as far as the outer space treaty is concerned to look and to find a way to first get the person and bring him to the responsibility of this space object.”
The KSA said the debris does not pose an immediate threat to safety.
There were no casualties, and no significant damage was reported.
There is growing concern around increased global space activities, and the rise of manmade objects in the Earth’s orbit.
That has led experts and governments to highlight the potential risks associated with space junk, including incidents like this one, when debris falls back to Earth.
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