April 3, 2021
2 mins read

Debris of Falcon 9 lands on private farm in US

An expert said that re-entries of this kind into atmosphere happen every couple of weeks but it is “just unusual that it happens over a densely populated area”, reports Asian Lite News

In a bizarre incident, a farm owner in the US was left in shock when a pressure vessel from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fell on his property in Washington State, leaving a “4-inch dent in the soil.”

In a normal course, most second stage parts either hang out in orbit for years or re-enter Earth over the ocean.

Also Read – SpaceX Crew Dragon Opens New Era

The debris was identified as Composite-Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) from the breakup of a Falcon 9 second stage over Oregon and Washington State on March 26, reports The Verge, quoting local officials.

The stage re-entered the atmosphere in an unusual spot in the sky after sending a payload of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to orbit.

The farm owner in Grant County, Washington State, found the pressure vessel and reported it to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

“Neither the property owner nor our sergeant is rocket scientist, of course, but judging from what had happened a few days prior, it looked to them like it was possibly debris from the Falcon 9 reentry,” Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kyle Foreman was quoted as saying in the report.

Also Read – Russia ‘interested’ in Elon Musk’s offer

A sergeant then called Elon Musk-run SpaceX, which confirmed the remnant of the rocket belonged to the company and dispatched its workers to retrieve the debris.

“Of course, we didn’t have a protocol for this, so we just erred on the side of returning someone’s property to them,” Foreman said.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

A COPV is a part of the Falcon 9’s second stage, the smaller section of the rocket that detaches from the main stage at the edge of space and boosts satellites farther from Earth.

The COPV stores helium at pressures of nearly 6,000psi, which is used to pressurise the second stage’s large tanks of propellant.

Also Read – Musk keeps his ‘Indian promise’

According to Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, re-entries of this kind happen every couple of weeks but it is “just unusual that it happens over a densely populated area”.

Previous Story

STUDY: Potato chips may damage Kidney

Next Story

Members of Iran nuclear deal to convene in Vienna

Latest from -Top News

WHO adopts Global Pandemic Agreement

The agreement seeks to boost international coordination and ensure equitable access to life-saving tools during future pandemics, while reaffirming respect for national sovereignty in public health decisions In a move aimed at

UK-East Africa trade forum to kickstart investment

UK hosts first-ever forum dedicated to trade and investment with East Africa, including announcements on cross-border trade and electric motorbikes The UK has announced two investments in East Africa to de-risk cross-border

First detection of West Nile virus in UK

West Nile Virus is a vector borne disease belonging to the Flaviviridae family, which also includes the viruses that cause dengue and yellow fever A research programme by the UK Health Security
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Trump Addresses Nation After Assassination Scare

Trump said the bullet missed him as he leaned forward

Americans should ‘pay attention’ to MLK’s legacy: Biden

As Biden begins to turn his attention toward an expected