Authorities have been perplexed by a large, barnacle-covered cylinder that has washed ashore on an Australian beach; on Tuesday, the nation’s space agency speculated that it might be leftover rocket launch debris from abroad.
The item, which is around two meters (six feet) high and has cables hanging from the top, was recently seen close to isolated Jurien Bay, a coastal area two hours’ drive north of the state capital Perth.
Online rumors that the canister might be connected to the loss of Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH370 in 2014 have been dispelled by police, who cordoned off the canister while it was inspected for dangerous material.
“At this early stage it appears the object did not originate from a commercial aircraft,” police said in a statement.
The Australian Space Agency said it was investigating whether the canister may be part of a “foreign space launch vehicle that has washed up on shore”.
“As the origin of the object is unknown, the community should avoid handling or attempting to move the object,” the agency said in a statement.
A charred chunk of debris from one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX missions was discovered jutting out of a paddock by an Australian sheep farmer last year.
“It was kind of exciting and weird all in the same way,” astrophysicist Brad Tucker told AFP at the time, after inspecting the SpaceX debris.
