Samantha Lawler, an astronomy professor at Regina University, examined the debris and suggested that the fragments were most likely from the SpaceX.
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying the four-member Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew is pictured approaching the International Space Station 260 miles above China north of the Himalayas.
While inspecting his canola field, farmer Barry Sawchuk and his son came upon something unusual: a charred piece of heavy metal.
Sawchuk’s farm is near Ituna, a small town in Saskatchewan, Canada. The metal object is space debris, most likely from a SpaceX capsule.
As reported by CBC, this piece is around 6.5 feet broad and weighs 88 pounds.
Trunk module of the Dragon
The metal’s layers exhibited burnt composite fibers and webbing, which indicated that it was space debris, but Sawchuk was not entirely certain.
Soon after this discovery, the incident garnered the attention of astronomy professors through local news reports.
Samantha Lawler, an astronomy professor at Regina University, examined the debris and suggested that the fragments were most likely from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which re-entered the atmosphere in February of this year.
The capsule returned four astronauts from the private Ax-3 mission aboard the ISS.
The Dragon undocked on February 7, and the crew returned to Earth on February 9. The reusable crew capsule splashed safely off the coast of Daytona, Florida, while the disposable trunk module was left to reenter on its own. This trunk module likely is what landed on Barry’s farm.
According to CBC, the Canadian farmer intends to sell the metal junk and donate the proceeds to help build a hockey arena in Saskatchewan.
Under international space law, countries must return any space debris to the nation from which it originated. This means that the debris found on Barry’s farm should technically be returned to the United States, where SpaceX is based. However, SpaceX may also decide to give away the space junk simply.
Back in July 2022, a similar incident occurred when SpaceX’s Dragon trunk module landed on an Australian farmland.
The growing space debris issue
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), between 200 to 400 human-made objects, such as defunct satellites and spent rocket stages, reenter the Earth’s atmosphere each year. While most of these objects burn up on reentry, some bigger parts may survive and make it to the Earth.
The current notion suggests a very minimal possibility that any uncontrolled return would result in harm or casualty. But it is not entirely ruled out.
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Another incident highlighting the growing risk of space debris was when a NASA ISS discarded battery pallet debris crash-landed inside a Florida house. The debris could have easily hit the residents, but they narrowly escaped.
SpaceX continues to launch more missions year after year, suggesting that space debris is only going to increase. According to ESA estimates, more than 36,500 junk objects are currently in our orbit. With the space industry expanding at an exponential rate, there is a greater chance of being struck by such space debris.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has yet to confirm that the junk belongs to Dragon.
As space exploration continues, who knows where the next piece of space junk will land?
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her professional experience encompasses both broadcast and digital media, enabling her to learn a variety of storytelling formats. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
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2024-05-17 06:55:00Z
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