An unexpected visitor: Massive space debris crash-lands in village in Kenya- Watch

The Mukuku village in Kenya's Makueni County had an unexpected visitor on its doorstep- a massive space debris that crash-landed.

In a statement posted on X, the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) said on Wednesday (January 1) a metallic ring measuring approximately 2.5 metres in diameter and weighing about 500 kilograms (kg) fell from space and landed in the village on Monday. 

WATCH: A metallic object, likely space junk, crashed in Kenya's Mukuku village. The massive ring, weighing approximately 1100 lbs and about 8 feet in diameter, is believed to be from a rocket launch vehicle. The Kenya Space Agency is investigating its origin and impact pic.twitter.com/MJgSbw0ZTh

— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) January 2, 2025

Citing preliminary assessments, the KSA said that the fallen object was a separation ring from a launch vehicle. It added that no one was injured and the space debris posed no immediate risk.

Debris retrieved, KSA thanks villagers for help

Further in the statement, the Kenyan space body said upon receiving the information on Tuesday morning about the object being found in Mukuku, KSA officials rushed to the scene, secured the area, and retrieved the debris.

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The KSA thanked the residents of the village for their "prompt action in reporting the incident to authorities and for their cooperation in ensuring public safety."

Following the discovery of a metallic fragment of a space object in Mukuku Village, Makueni County, the Kenya Space Agency has issued the following statement. Read more for details on the incident, preliminary findings, and next steps. pic.twitter.com/n8gsvoKku4

— Kenya Space Agency (@SpaceAgencyKE) January 1, 2025

"Our experts will analyse the object, use existing frameworks to identify the owner and keep the public informed of the next steps and outcomes," the statement added. 

What is space debris?

Space debris, also known as space junk, is defunct human-made space objects in space.

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According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), although we do not see space debris in the sky, beyond the clouds and further than the eye can see, it enters low Earth orbit (LEO).

NASA says that there are millions of pieces of space junk flying in the LEO. 

(With inputs from agencies)