After being discovered 150 miles off the coast of Perth, the enormous canister that inspired a number of speculations has been finally identified.
Officials have determined that a mystery huge item found on an Australian beach is actually rocket debris from India.
Many people were baffled by the origins of the enormous cylinder coated in barnacles that was found on Green Head Beach in Western Australia earlier this month, despite initial suspicions that it may be “space junk.”
The Australian Space Agency, however, came to a more certain conclusion, stating that the object was “most likely” fragments of a “extended third-stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.”
The medium-lift launch vehicle is operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The third stage of the vehicle is jettisoned at an altitude of 264 miles.
The about 2.5-meter-long and 2.5-meter-wide gold canister is now stored in storage.
The item had previously been under police surveillance, but it was immediately found to be secure and not a danger to the neighbourhood.
According to the Australian Space Agency, representatives from Australia and India are coordinating to “provide further confirmation to determine next steps, including considering obligations under the United Nations space treaties.”
Garth Griffiths, a local homeowner, claimed that two weeks prior, a neighbour had informed him of the odd discovery.
It was found floating on the water’s edge by a local woman and her spouse, who then towed it out with their four-wheel drive, according to what he told ABC News.
There were barnacles and marine life growing on it. Australia is no stranger to orbital remains mysteriously appearing in random places, with space debris from Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft crashing into a New South Wales farm last year.
