Part of Indian rocket? Mysterious cylinder washes up on Australian beach

A giant metal cylinder mysteriously washed up on a beach near Perth, Western Australia and left the police and locals baffled at its sudden appearance.

On Sunday, the local residents reported the huge copper-coloured cylinder to police after it washed up on a beach near Jurien Bay. The cylinder was leaning on one side and appeared to have gone through substantial damage.

Western Australian police stated that they do not feel that the object was part of any commercial aircraft, however, they are unsure about its origins and have been treating it as hazardous.

“We want to reassure the community that we are actively engaged in a collaborative effort with various state and federal agencies to determine the object’s origin and nature,” the police said in a statement.

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“The investigation is ongoing, and until further information is available, we urge everyone to refrain from drawing conclusions,” it added.

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The police have been carrying out a joint investigation into its origins, and the object is being guarded by the officers so as to maintain the investigation's integrity. “This measure has been taken to ensure the preservation of potential evidence and facilitate further expert examination,” they said.

In the video shared on social media, the huge cylinder appears partly damaged and does not look similar to a regular aircraft. It appears the object has been detached from something and its bottom half appears like it was ripped from its origin.

The speculations that the object had come from the vanished flight MH370, which had suddenly disappeared when it was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014, were immediately dismissed by the police.

A fallen part of Chandrayaan-3?

An Australian Space Agency spokesperson said that they were making enquiries related to the object. “The agency is working to confirm whether the object could be part of a foreign space launch vehicle that has washed up on shore, and liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide information about the object,” the spokesperson said.

“As the origin of the object is unknown, the community should avoid handling or attempting to move the object,” he added.

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An expert in space archaeology Dr Alice Gorman, while speaking to The Guardian, said that she thinks the object is a fuel cylinder which has come from the third stage of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket or Chandrayaan-3. “It’s surprising because it’s such a large fragment. And it makes you wonder what was going on at the time, if maybe a marine weather event dislodged it and brought it ashore,” she said.

“It is very interesting though, and is a way regular everyday people can get close to space, as often these things turn into souvenirs. People like to keep some space junk,” the expert added.

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