On Monday afternoon, a large, glowing red object plummeted from the sky into a village in Kenya, sparking immediate attention and an investigation by the country’s space agency, as reported by local residents and the national broadcaster.
The object has since been identified by the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) as a “fragment of a space object,” according to a statement issued on Wednesday.
The space agency confirmed that it had recovered the object, which crashed in the remote village of Mukuku in Makueni County, located in southern Kenya. Described as space debris, the object is approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide and weighs around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).
In its statement, the KSA clarified that the object is a metallic ring about 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing 500 kilograms, and it is indeed a fragment of a space object.
Initial evaluations suggest the object might be a separation ring from a rocket. The agency noted that space debris usually falls into the ocean or disintegrates in the atmosphere before reaching the Earth’s surface. This particular case, however, is an unusual event and remains under investigation.
Julius Rotich, the Police Commander of Mbooni Sub County, told the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation that the object was still hot when officers arrived at the scene on Monday. The local residents had to be kept away from the area until the object cooled down.
Images shared by the broadcaster showed police cordoning off the area with tape, as the metallic ring was found among trees and brush, with villagers observing from a distance.
The KSA is currently conducting further analysis of the object and working to determine its exact origin.
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