ISRO chief S Somanath in an interaction with the BBC said that the mysterious object which washed up on a remote beach in Australia may or may not be Indian.
Earlier, the Australian Space Agency said that the object could be a part of a foreign space launch vehicle. After the news of the object broke, several netizens speculated that it could have been debris from India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission launch. ‘
India launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14, 2023.
What did the ISRO chief say about the mystery object?
S Somanath told BBC that there was “no mystery” that the object is a part of some rocket. “It could be a PSLV or any other and unless we see and analyse it, it cannot be confirmed,” he added.
Some of the PSLV parts fell in the sea beyond Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Somanath added, adding the object “may have been floating for a long time and finally reached shore”.
The debris poses no danger.
He added that there was no danger associated with the debris.
An analysis by the Department of Fire and Emergency Service and the Chemistry Centre of WA had determined the object was safe and there was no risk to the community, ABC News reported earlier. The report also said that a local lady and her partner found the part floating on the water and they dragged it out with their vehicle.