This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Indonesian authorities were investigating Tuesday after a car-sized piece of debris, possibly from a Chinese rocket according to a government agency, crashed into a palm oil plantation near homes and work sites. The debris was found on Monday morning by a plantation worker in Indonesian Borneo, after residents reported hearing a loud bang the previous evening over a remote area of Central Kalimantan province.
At first, I thought it might have been aircraft debris," Wardi Tamroni told of his discovery near the town of Sampit. Wardi, 51, said the object had crashed about three kilometers (1.9 miles) from the housing complex of the PT Agro Bukit palm oil company he works for. "We usually carry out our activities in the area where the object fell," he added.
"Fortunately, all the workers had already gone home, so no one was left in the plantation." Local police chief I Kadek Dwi Yoga Sidhimantra described the object as "a fairly large aluminum plate measuring up to nine meters (30 feet) with an irregular shape and visible burn marks." The incident did not cause loss of life or property damage, according to civil aviation spokesman Zachrudien, who like many Indonesians has one name. The debris also posed no radiation or toxicity risks, he added. Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) said the debris appeared to come from a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket.
The Chinese government said last week that a Zhuque-2E had launched 10 satellites into space from a commercial launch site in the country's northwest. The China National Space Administration could not be immediately reached for comment. BRIN researcher Thomas Djamaluddin said not all parts of a spacecraft necessarily burn up on reentry into Earth's atmosphere, and more heat-resistant parts may reach the surface.
"This phenomenon is one possible explanation for the discovery of a large metal fragment in a palm oil plantation in Sampit," he said in a statement. Debris usually crashes into the oceans, which cover about 70% of Earth's surface. On Tuesday morning, a second piece of debris thought to be from the same rocket was found about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the first, according to Zachrudien.
From the photographs, the object appears to be round and related to the first object," he told AFP. "Its material also appears to be an aluminum alloy, but we will need to verify this." The pieces were being examined at a nearby military air base. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the casualty risk to individuals on Earth due to uncontrolled reentry was lower than that for rare accidents such as lightning strikes or shark attacks—though it is rising.
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