Space agencies in Europe and Australia said Tuesday the strange object that washed up on Australia’s west coast likely originated in space.
The copper-colored cylinder washed up on the beach at Green Head, 155 miles north of Perth, according to CNN. Amid a flurry of online speculation, the Australian Space Agency said “the object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle,” while the Western Australia Police Force confirmed the Space Agency’s suspicions, saying the object is likely “space debris,” according to CNN.
We are currently making enquiries related to this object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia.
The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information.
[More in comments] pic.twitter.com/41cRuhwzZk
— Australian Space Agency (@AusSpaceAgency) July 17, 2023
Both institutions have warned citizens not to engage the object, with the police vowing to guard the object until its removal, CNN reported. “As the origin of the object is unknown, the community should avoid handling or attempting to move the object,” the Australian Space Agency said on Twitter. (RELATED: ‘We’re Done With The Cover-Ups’: House Oversight Committee To Hold Hearing On UFOs)
Locals reportedly pulled the object out of the water. “Sometime yesterday, a local lady and her partner discovered it just floating on the edge of the water and dragged it out with their four-wheel drive,” local resident Garth Griffiths told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The European Space Agency says the object likely fell from an Indian rocket launching a satellite. “We’re pretty sure based on the shape and the size, it is an upper-stage engine from an Indian rocket that’s used for a lot of different missions,” European Space Agency engineer Andrea Boyd told Australia Broadcasting Corporation.
She also said, due to the barnacle build-up on the rocket, it likely isn’t from this year and could be as old as 20 years old.