Australia. Mysterious capsule on the beach. Is the cylinder part of the rocket?

Residents found the metal capsule washed up by the ocean waves on Australia’s Green Head Beach, about 250 kilometers north of Perth. The investigation into the origin and nature of the mysterious object is being conducted by state and federal authorities with the participation of aviation experts and the Australian Space Agency. The police and army are involved in the investigation.

The object was classified as potentially dangerous, the police appealed to people to keep a safe distance from the capsule. “We want to reassure the community that we are actively engaged with various state and federal agencies to determine the origin and nature of the object,” authorities said in a statement.

Australian public broadcaster ABC said the capsule is about 2.5 meters wide and 2.5 to 3 meters long.

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) is of the opinion that the giant capsule may come from a foreign space launch and has assured that it is establishing cooperation with other similar institutions on this matter. As the item’s origin is unknown, residents should avoid touching or attempting to move the item, the ASA warned. She also appealed for reporting if they noticed further “suspicious fragments”.

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas opined that it was probably a fuel tank from a rocket that crashed into the Indian Ocean within the last 12 months. The hypothesis that it is “space debris” was supported in an interview with local media by Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University. He recalled that between five and ten rockets are launched every week around the world. He also called for caution. – My rule about space debris is the same as with Australian animals: don’t touch it unless you know what you’re doing. Fuel is usually carcinogenic, so it’s important to be careful, he said.

Western Australian website WAtoday pointed out that the mysterious object bears a striking resemblance to a part of an Indian rocket regularly used to launch satellites.

However, one of the first hypotheses that the capsule could have been part of it was rejected Boeing 777 Malaysian Airlineswho – with 239 people on board – disappeared on March 8, 2014 over the South China Sea.

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas said there was “no chance” it was part of a Boeing. “The fact is that MH370 went missing nine and a half years ago, so there would have been considerable wear and tear on the debris,” he said.