The half-ton fragment was part of the rocket’s upper stage, and then became space debris. Local residents are demanding compensation.
In one of the villages in Kenya, a metal hoop with a diameter of more than 2.4 meters and weighing more than 500 kilograms fell from the sky. The Kenya Space Agency confirmed that the object was part of the rocket’s upper stage, which is designed to separate upon launch, The New York Times reported.
The object, which turned out to be space debris, spooked local residents, although no one was injured.
The metal ring, glowing red as it fell, fell into the thicket, destroying trees and bushes.
Local residents panicked, suspecting it was a bomb. The object was removed for further research. Now they are demanding compensation for damages.
“We want to hold this property owner accountable,” said local resident Paul Musili.
“If this thing falls on a residential building, the consequences could be catastrophic,” said Joseph Mutua, another local resident.
Meanwhile, experts warn that even small amounts of debris in orbit can lead to a cascading effect known as Kessler syndrome, where debris in space collides with each other, creating more debris. . It threatens all infrastructure in Earth’s orbit.
According to the European Space Agency, there are now more than 14 thousand tons of materials in low-Earth orbit, of which a third is debris. Due to the increase in the number of spacecraft launches, which exceeds 100 annually, more and more debris does not burn in the atmosphere and falls to Earth.
It was previously reported that a Chinese satellite was shot down by Russian space debris 25 years ago.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.