Identification Made for Mysterious Object Found on Australian Beach

The mystery surrounding a colossal metal object that washed up on an Australian beach may have finally been unraveled. According to Phys.org, the “bulky, barnacle-encrusted cylinder” appeared in mid-July on the shores of Green Head, situated north of Perth in Western Australia. Speculations arose that it could be military-related or even a piece of the long-lost Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. However, after an investigation, the Australian Space Agency has reached a different conclusion.

This enigmatic object, standing at 6 feet tall and approximately the size of a small car, has been identified as debris from the expended third stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), as reported by Al Jazeera. In a tweet on Monday, the Australian Space Agency confirmed their belief that it is a fragment of a rocket, specifically one operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The agency is collaborating with ISRO to authenticate their findings and determine the next course of action. While ISRO acknowledges that the object appears to be rocket debris, ownership is yet to be confirmed. “We can’t confirm it’s ours unless we analyze it,” stated S. Somanath, chair of ISRO, in an interview with the BBC earlier this month.

Initially, there were speculations that the cylinder might be part of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which India launched to the moon on July 14. However, the presence of barnacles on the object’s surface suggests that it had been in the water for a considerable period, possibly a few months. Australian authorities initially treated the object as potentially hazardous due to concerns about toxic materials. Nonetheless, a chemical analysis has disproven these fears, as reported by the AP. Currently, the object is being kept in storage. (Read more India stories.)