Mysterious object washed up on Australian beach could be part of ISRO rocket

We are currently making enquiries related to this object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia.

The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information.

[More in comments] pic.twitter.com/41cRuhwzZk

— Australian Space Agency (@AusSpaceAgency) July 17, 2023

The massive copper-coloured cylinder was found substantially damaged and leaning on its side, according to The Guardian. In images, the copper cylinder seems quite weather-worn and seems to have quite a few barnacles attached to it, indicating that it has been in the ocean for a while.

Western Australia police said, based on analysis of the object by the fire department’s chemistry centre that “the object is safe and there is no current risk to the community” even though they had initially treated the object as “hazardous” until further assessments could be made.

Science Alert pointed out the possibility that the rocket could have an Indian connection—it could be part of the third-stage booster of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). An image of engineers hoisting PSLV’s third-stage shows a component that doesn’t look dissimilar to the object that washed up in Australia.

PSLV’s third stage hoisted up in the air. (Wikimedia foundation)

European Space Agency engineer Andrea Boyd told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that her colleagues believe the item washed up from the Indian Ocean from an Indian rocket that launched the satellite. “We’re pretty sure, based on the shape and the size, it is an upper-stage engine from an Indian rocket that’s used for a lot of different missions,” AP quoted her as saying.