An unknown object fell to Earth from space: perhaps it is the debris of a Chinese rocket (photo)

Technology has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe so you don't miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science! An investigation is currently underway involving police, the Australian Space Agency and the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Management to determine the exact identity of the object that fell from space. Space debris expert Alice Gorman believes it could be part of China's Jieling rocket, which was launched into space on September 25.

Gorman believes that this is the fourth stage of a rocket that orbited the Earth for a while before suddenly entering the atmosphere and falling in Australia. Local police said that, according to a preliminary investigation of the object, it was made of carbon fiber and was consistent with previously discovered space debris, such as high-pressure vessels with a composite shell or rocket fuel tanks.

Composite jacketed high pressure vessels are tanks used to store liquid propellants under high pressure in spacecraft. Engineers of the Australian Space Agency will conduct additional research to determine the source of the burnt object. Comic debris falling on land is a rare phenomenon, because most of the Earth is covered with water. Therefore, even if some piece of space debris falls down, it is more likely to end up in the ocean.

According to European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher, space debris is becoming an increasingly serious problem in orbit as rocket launches increase. Also, the number of falling pieces of space debris is increasing. According to Gorman, fuel tanks are often made of stainless steel or titanium alloys with a carbon fiber coating, which gives them a very high melting point. Therefore, they can survive the entry into the Earth's atmosphere and not burn up there completely.