ISRO team to probe suspected Chinese rocket debris that fell in Maharashtra village
Meteor shower
Days after videos emerged of a meteor shower-like phenomenon being spotted in the evening skies of India's Maharashtra, a team of scientists from the Indian Space Research Organization will be probing the matter.
Concerns were raised after more pictures and videos emerged of suspected rocket parts such as a large metal ring, cylindrical objects and metallic ball having been recovered.
According to experts in the field, what occurred on April 2nd night was the re-entry of the third stage of a Chinese Chang Zheng 3B(Long March 3B rocket). This particular rocket is said to have been launched in February 2021.
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Following requests from the district authorities, ISRO has decided to step in and conduct inspection at the site. ISRO issued a statement saying that they had received inputs from multiple sources on flashing lights being spotted in the skies over Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, in the evening hours of April 2.
"Formal communication has been received from the office of the district magistrate and district collector of Chandrapur, Maharashtra. It is reported that a metal ring and a cylinder-like object are found in an open field in Pawanpur village. As requested by the district administration, a team of scientists from ISRO is visiting Pawanpur for inspection and further scientific inquiry," the statement added.
It is notable that when spent upper stages of rockets survive atmospheric re-entry, the parts of the rocket can fall on earth.
