Space agency says object found in Western Australia could come from “foreign space launch vehicle”
A mysterious cylinder washed up on an Australian beach, leaving local residents and police baffled about its origin.
The giant, unidentified gold-colored metal object was discovered by residents on Green Head Beach, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Perth, Western Australia.
It is said to be about 2.5 meters wide and between 2.5 and 3 m long.
Western Australian Police said an analysis by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Western Australian Chemical Center had deemed the object to be safe and posed no risk to the local community, according to reports. Authorities asked the public to stay away from the cylinder as efforts to formally identify it continued.
They said the object did not appear to come from a commercial airliner.
The Australian Space Agency said the cylinder could come from a “foreign space launch vehicle”, adding that it was in contact with global counterparts.
“We are currently conducting investigations related to this object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia,” the organization said
Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert, told the BBC that the object could be a rocket fuel tank that had fallen into the Indian Ocean sometime last year.
Local residents reportedly saw the object for the first time over the weekend.
About 30 people went to the beach to get a closer look, Green Head resident Garth Griffiths told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
A local lady and her partner discovered it floating at the edge of the water and dragged it with their four-wheel drive,” Griffiths said.
“It was a great social evening. “It was a beautiful, quiet night, the children were digging sand castles around them,” he added.
Griffiths described the object as a semi-cylindrical object made of a lightweight carbon fiber material like “light resin.”
Police said they would maintain the security of the object until it was removed.
“This action has been taken to ensure the preservation of potential evidence and facilitate further forensic examination,” a Western Australian Police spokesperson said.
