A large, red-hot piece of space debris crashed into a remote Kenyan village, prompting the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) to immediately launch an investigation.
According to foreign news agencies, the KSA said in a statement that the object that fell in the village of Makoko was a “piece of space object.”
The metal ring, which is 2.5 meters long and weighs about 500 kilograms, is believed to be part of space debris.
A police officer told the state news agency that the object was hot when it fell when local police approached it. Police surrounded it until it cooled down and residents were kept away from the area as a precaution.
The KSA said that initial assessments indicate that the object is a broken ring from a rocket.
Space debris usually either burns up or falls into the ocean, making this an extremely rare occurrence. KSA is analyzing the object and working to confirm its origin.
The incident highlights the growing concerns about space debris, as satellite activity continues to increase, with such pieces falling to Earth.
KSA is continuing its research to understand the causes of this rare event.
