A MYSTERIOUS object that washed up on an Australian beach has been identified as debris from an Indian rocket, officials said Monday.
The bulky barnacle-encrusted cylinder was first spotted in mid-July near remote Jurien Bay, a coastal region two hours' drive north of Perth in Western Australia.
Amateur sleuths speculated online that the object might have a military origin or even be linked to the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
But the Australian Space Agency said it had concluded the object was "most likely" debris from an "expended third-stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle".
The medium-lift launch vehicle is operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation, the agency added.
The object, which measures some two metres (six feet) high and has cables dangling from the top, is being kept in storage.
Meanwhile, officials from both countries are working together to "provide further confirmation to determine next steps, including considering obligations under the United Nations space treaties", the Australian Space Agency said.
It is not the first time Australia has found itself a landing ground for space junk - last August, a sheep farmer in New South Wales found a charred chunk from one of Elon Musk's SpaceX missions jutting out of his paddock.
(AFP)
6.9K views · 135 reactions | I’m genuinely shocked and saddened by reports that Will Jackson, Conservative candidate for North Harrow in the elections next month, has told British-born Asian MPs like Rishi Sunak and Shabana Mahmood that they are “not British” and should “go back to Pakistan,” He also suggested figures like Anthony Joshua and Dua Lipa aren’t British.I have raised this important matter in Parliament today, because there is no place for racism in our politics.I’m proud of Harrow’s diverse, close-knit communities. Every candidate should seek to unite people, not divide them.This matter must be taken seriously. I welcome the Conservative Party’s statement that Mr Jackson’s comments are wholly unacceptable and their decision to suspend him.But serious questions remain about how he was selected as a candidate in the first place, and why he was considered fit to represent our community.https://bylinetimes.com/2026/04/13/conservative-candidate-tells-british-mps-to-go-back-to-pakistan/🎥 👇 | Gareth Thomas MP 
