New Year’s Eve has a mystical and mysterious air in many cultures. It is time to say goodbye to the old and to be reborn to begin another return to the Sun. There are many who precisely look to the stars to launch their good resolutions and wishes for the coming months. But, surely, in that look at the sky Nobody expects to see a piece of rocket falling on their town. Something, on the other hand, much more common than we would like.
This introduction may seem somewhat out of the ordinary, but the story does not escape the reality of the facts: a metal fragment of a rocket, weighing approximately 500 kilos, fell last Monday in the town of Mukuku, located in Makueni county, in the southeast of Kenya.
The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has confirmed that the object is part of a launch vehicle.
According to the official statement issued by the KSA, the fragment, identified as a separation ring, it measures around 2.5 meters in diameter and weighs, as we say, approximately half ton. The inhabitants of the area claim that it crashed “red hot” around 3:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time).
The agency assures that these types of incidents are unusual, since rocket debris usually disintegrates upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere or falling into uninhabited areas, such as the oceans. However, They have launched an investigation to clarify what happened.
“We want to reassure the population and confirm that the object does not pose an immediate threat to public safety”the KSA has stated. In addition, they indicated that the fragment has been transferred to their facilities for more detailed analysis.
Fake news and accusations
At the time of the events, the space agency announced that it will use the established protocols to identify the origin of the rocket and determine who it belongs to. Likewise, he promised to keep citizens informed about the progress of the investigation and the steps to follow.
Now, from their X account (formerly Twitter) they have called for calm, since some media have falsely published that the agency has notified India of a compensation demand for the fall of this space remnant, thus associating it with the Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO).
“Although ‘Nation Africa’ has published this claim, it is important to clarify that investigations into the origin of the object are still ongoing and No official statement has been issued linking the remains to the Indian Space Research Agency. or with a specific space mission. The Kenya Space Agency and relevant authorities are handling the matter to ensure a thorough and accurate assessment. We recommend the public to be cautious regarding such reports and wait for official conclusions,” the KSA explained in X.
The publications that the KSA identifies as false point to the Docking Experiment Spadex of ISRO as the owner of the object.
Let us remember that it is common for all kinds of information and speculation to appear when these events occur, such as what happened, for example. when a large piece of space junk crashed into a residential home in Floridadestroying the roof and two floors, and almost reaching the owner’s son, who later sued NASA after learning the origin of the object.
Thanks to the neighbors
In the initial statement, issued on January 1, the KSA thanked the residents of Mukuku for quickly alerting the authorities and collaborate to ensure security. He also urged the population to immediately report any suspicious objects or unusual events in the area.
The incident has sparked interest in the local community and raises questions about safety measures around space debrisa topic that continues to gain relevance as global aerospace activity increases.
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