All articles tagged with #rocket debris
Six metallic titanium spheres—each about the size of a basketball—washed ashore at Forrest Beach, Queensland. Officials say they’re space junk, likely pressure vessels from a foreign rocket, and a 50-meter exclusion zone was set up while authorities work with international partners to confirm the launch origin. More debris could wash up, but the objects pose no danger to residents.
A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage (designation 2025-010D) from a 2025 launch is on a trajectory to impact the Moon this August, likely near the sunlit limb and possibly visible from Earth with a telescope. It poses no danger to people or lunar assets, but highlights the ongoing issue of disposing leftover space hardware and could influence future mission planning, according to Project Pluto observers.
SpaceX's Starship tests near Texas have repeatedly caused safety concerns due to rocket failures and debris falling over busy airspace, with the FAA allowing continued testing despite risks to commercial flights, raising questions about regulatory oversight and safety measures in private space exploration.
A new version of the solid rocket booster for NASA's SLS experienced an anomaly during a test in Utah, with debris scattering from the nozzle, though the motor continued to burn. The BOLE booster aims to enhance payload capacity for Artemis missions, but its future is uncertain amid budget debates and previous nozzle issues. The test provided valuable data despite the anomaly.
South Korea has recovered part of a rocket used in North Korea's failed attempt to launch its first military satellite last month. The debris was salvaged from the seabed about 75 metres below the surface off the west coast. The object will be analysed in cooperation with the United States to discover some features of North Korea's new rocket engine. The debris would also offer hints at the technical progress made by North Korea on its intercontinental ballistic missile capability and whether it had procured any components overseas in a potential breach of sanctions. The US guided-missile submarine USS Michigan arrived in South Korea for joint special warfare exercises aimed at improving responses to North Korean threats.
South Korea has recovered part of a rocket used in North Korea's failed attempt to launch its first military satellite last month. The debris was salvaged on Thursday evening, and the military is continuing to search for additional objects from what the North claimed was a space launch vehicle. The salvaged object will be thoroughly analysed by expert organisations, including the Agency for Defense Development. Pyongyang said it was exercising its right to space development to counter what it described as U.S. "aggression" and vowed to stage another launch soon.
China's maritime safety agency has announced a ban on vessels from an area near Taiwan on Sunday due to the possibility of falling rocket debris. The move comes amid tension in the region over Chinese military exercises around Taiwan, and a reported no-fly zone in the same location. Japan has sought details from Beijing on the no-fly zone, which is said to be due to a falling object related to a launch vehicle. Taiwan's government confirmed the no-fly zone, which will affect around 33 flights, but said China had shortened the stipulation to just 27 minutes on Sunday morning after Taipei protested.