SpaceX Rocket Debris Washes Up Near Australia's Christmas Island

SpaceX engineers are heading to Australia's Christmas Island, where a large piece of debris from a Starship rocket that fell into the Indian Ocean has been towed. The company announced the development, with further details reported by The Guardian.

The Starship spacecraft launched on July 24 from Texas. After reaching orbit, it deployed twenty non-functioning satellites, and the rocket's upper stage later re-entered the atmosphere and came down in the Indian Ocean.

A rescue operation in stormy seas

SpaceX crews spent several weeks trying to reach the 52-meter fragment of the spacecraft, but rough seas hampered the effort. Eventually, the debris was towed to calmer waters off the coast of Christmas Island.

"The SpaceX Starship recovery team has successfully brought the fragment to the coast of Christmas Island. A team of SpaceX engineers is already on its way to conduct further analysis of the vehicle in calm waters before attempting to return it to Starbase," the company said in a statement.

Local excitement — and safety warnings

The debris's arrival off the remote Australian island on Tuesday morning stirred considerable excitement among locals, who hope the event will draw not only SpaceX engineers but tourists as well — though pleasure boats won't be able to get close, as a safety perimeter has been set up around the fragment.

Space archaeologist Alice Gorman of Flinders University in Adelaide warns that the rocket's upper section could pose risks: such spacecraft fragments sometimes contain toxic substances or leftover fuel that could explode. Still, she notes that the piece brought to Christmas Island appears "relatively intact," suggesting the risk of a fuel leak should be lower.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz