23.08.2022
It appears another piece of space debris has been found in the NSW Snowy Mountains believed to belong to SpaceX.
A few pieces have been found so far, including two pieces near Dalgety and one near Jindabyne, after residents in the region heard a loud bang on July 9.
The latest fragment has been discovered near Tumbarumba, which cattle farmer Jordan Hobbs encountered while feeding his livestock on August 13.
"I thought it was rubbish and I was going to throw it in the bin," he said.
"We made a bit of a joke that it could have been space junk."
Mr Hobbs said he did some research and thought the hoverboard-shaped fragment looked aesthetically similar to the other pieces that had been found further east.
That's when he decided to call ANU astrophysicist Brad Tucker for help.
But the humour of the situation was not lost on the farmer who found it.
"Lucky I wear a cowboy hat, but I am considering wearing a motorcycle helmet," Mr Hobbs said sarcastically.
"We haven't slept for the past week because we don't know what's going to hit the roof or fall through it."
A perfect line
The Australian Space Agency confirmed in August that the pieces found so far belonged to a SpaceX Mission.
SpaceX then made its first public comment on the incident to date, confirming a team would visit Australia to inspect the debris firsthand.
The ABC understands that visit took place on August 10, but the Australian Space Agency and SpaceX have not provided further detail on the trip.
For ANU astrophysicist Brad Tucker, the discovery of multiple pieces showed a distinct geographic pattern.
"It seems definite again that we have now a fourth confirmed piece of space junk from that SpaceX one crew trunk," Dr Tucker said.
"It forms a perfect line, which is in line also with the trajectory of that capsule."
Dr Tucker said more pieces could still be out there.
"There are more pieces that are going to be found probably further east," he said.
"Are any of them going to be found, or are they going to be up there for years to come? We don't yet know that."
Communicating with the public
ANU-based space law expert Cassandra Steer said there was an obligation under international space law for the pieces to be repatriated back to the US unless their government decided to donate them to science or a museum.
But Dr Steer hoped SpaceX could provide more detail about how they could mitigate these incidents.
"When that first piece of debris was discovered in Australia, the only statement that SpaceX made was that this was not unexpected," she said.
"If it wasn't unexpected, they should have been notifying publicly about the potential risk."
Dr Steer also hoped SpaceX, as well as the Australian Space Agency, could be more transparent with their ongoing investigation with the general public, whether any agreements had been reached between the two, and what was going to happen with the debris.
"I think one of the challenges has been the lack of clear public statements about this," she said.
"We haven't had any public statements from SpaceX since, it's not really been clear what steps they've been taking."
Call the hotline
An Australian Space Agency spokesperson said the agency would work with SpaceX to confirm if the latest debris was linked to recent debris found and identified as being from a SpaceX mission.
The spokesperson said the agency was continuing to engage with its global counterparts around next steps, including whether the debris would need to be returned.
"The agency is operating under the Australian Government Space Re-entry Debris Plan and UN Rescue Agreement, which outlines roles and responsibilities relating to space re-entry debris," the spokesperson said.
"The agency is committed to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, including debris mitigation, and has highlighted this on the international stage."
The agency also is urging anyone who encounters further debris to contact it.
"They should not attempt to handle it or retrieve it," the spokesperson said.
"They should contact the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1 866 623 0234 or at recovery@spacex.com."
SpaceX has been contacted for comment.
Quelle: ABC News