Days after a successful satellite launch, a large piece of suspected Indian rocket debris has been discovered on the coast of Sri Lanka, highlighting the long-range travel of space mission components.
Object Spotted by Local Fishermen
The incident occurred on Sunday evening along the Malai Munthal sea stretch near Trincomalee on Sri Lanka's eastern coast. Local residents and fishermen were the first to spot the massive object after it was pushed onto the shore by strong ocean currents. Their prompt alert led to the deployment of Sri Lankan naval officials to secure the site immediately.
Experts Identify Rocket Component
Space experts examining the find suspect the fragment is a segment of a payload fairing. This protective shell, which houses satellites during the initial ascent, typically detaches from the rocket once it reaches a certain altitude. The recovered component matches the dimensions of such fairings used by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), measuring approximately five metres in diameter and ten metres in length.
The discovery comes just days after ISRO launched its heavy-lift rocket, the LVM3, carrying the US-made BlueBird Block-2 satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
A Recurring Phenomenon
This is not an isolated event for the region. In the past, debris from rockets launched from Sriharikota has occasionally been recovered in the waters of both Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The trajectory of spent rocket stages and jettisoned components often leads them to splash down in the Indian Ocean.
The reach of such debris can be extensive. A notable past incident occurred on July 31, 2013, when an object found on a beach in Western Australia was identified as part of a rocket launched by ISRO. The Australian Space Agency had stated it was likely debris from the "expended third-stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)".
These events underscore the international footprint of space launches and the established protocols for handling space debris that survives re-entry or lands in foreign territories. The recovery process in Sri Lanka is now underway with coordination between relevant authorities.
