The six solid objects discovered on Forrest Beach, north of Townsville, were intriguing. Where could these strange artifacts come from? This July 6, the Australian Space Agency (ASA) declared that it may have found the answer. The spheresappeared to be pressure tanks from a space launch vehicle“. The agency added that it was working with international authorities to officially confirm the origin of the launcher.
The Queensland Fire Service said on Sunday July 5 that a 50 meter exclusion zone remained in force, urging anyone who found a suspicious object in the area not to touch it. They also said members of the public who encounter these objects should immediately move away and call emergency services. The BBC and The Guardian look back on these mysterious discoveries.
Some speculation has circulated on the Internet that these spheres are propellant tanks for spacecraft, and therefore could contain residue of highly flammable or reactive substances.
Teams dressed in protective suits were reportedly seen placing the spheres into hazmat drums while police watched, over fears they contained dangerous substances.
Debris already spotted in 2023
Lisa Scobie, owner of Forrest Beach Takeaway restaurant, said local people were curious about their origin. “It’s a very quiet place, there’s not much going on here. So, seeing so much unusual activity… it really sparked a bit of excitement“, she explained.
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According to the latest press release from the ASA, “the location and characteristics of these objects match those of debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere from orbit“.
This is not the first time such mysterious objects have been spotted on the Australian coastline. In 2023, India confirmed that a giant metal dome, washed up on a beach in Western Australia near Perth, came from one of its rockets. The spokesperson for the Indian space agency then told the BBC that it was an element of one of its PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) launchers.
A spherical object similar to those discovered this weekend was also found in 2011 in a remote grassland in Namibia, southern Africa. At the time, experts estimated that it was most likely a fuel tank or bladder containing hydrazine – a highly volatile propellant – from an unmanned rocket.
