NewsMetal mystery: Space debris shocks Kenyan village of Mukuku

Metal mystery: Space debris shocks Kenyan village of Mukuku

The Kenyan Space Agency has delivered shocking news: a metal ring with a diameter of 8 feet and weighing over 1,100 pounds fell on the village of Mukuku in Makueni County.

Space debris fell on the village
Space debris fell on the village
Images source: © Adobe Stock, x @specialladult

On Wednesday, January 1st, the Kenyan Space Agency announced information that surprised everyone. Two days earlier, a gigantic metal ring had fallen on the village of Mukuku in Kenya's Makueni County, causing confusion among residents.

Space debris suddenly fell from the sky

A loud boom accompanying the object's fall was heard from as far as 30 miles away, as confirmed by social media posts. "This object fell from the sky and sounded like a thunderstorm with lightning," wrote a user, "McDMwesh," on platform X and shared photos of the space debris.

Residents of Mukuku gathered around the twisted and charred ring, speculating about its origin and potential threat. The Kenyan Space Agency reported that the object is most likely a rocket booster separation ring.

Surprising situation in Kenya

The Kenyan police assured that no one was hurt in the incident. The Space Agency reassured residents that the object does not threaten their safety. A rocket booster separation ring is expected to burn up upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere or fall into uninhabited areas such as oceans. However, things turned out differently this time, so experts are investigating the matter.

Recall that a similar incident took place in 2022 in Australia when remnants of a SpaceX Dragon capsule fell on a sheep farm there. In January 2023, a falling piece of metal destroyed a house in Florida, USA, and in March, a similar cylindrical object damaged a house in Naples, Italy.

Source: PAP/X

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