Kenya metallic ring debris: Giant 'space object' that was 'red and hot' crashes into remote village prompting investigation

The object fell on Monday afternoon (30 January) according to local residents cited by the country’s national broadcaster. The object has since been identified as a “fragment of a space object,” the Kenya Space Agency said in a statement Wednesday (1 January).

Villagers discovered the “red and hot” ring at about 3pm local time on 30 December, the Kenyan Space Agency said. The KSA said it has taken custody of the object that landed in the remote village of Mukuku, in the southern county of Makueni. It described the object as apparent space junk measuring 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) wide and weighing 500 kg (about 1,100 pounds).

“The Agency wishes to clarify that the object, a metallic ring measuring approximately 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing about 500 kg is a fragment of a space object,” the KSA said. Preliminary assessments suggest it is a separation ring from a rocket, the agency said, noting that space debris more typically falls into the ocean or burns up before entering the earth’s atmosphere.

The fallen object is likely an isolated case and is still under investigation, it added. Julius Rotich, Mbooni Sub County Police Commander, told the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation that the object was still hot when officers arrived Monday, and that residents had to be cordoned off from the area until it cooled down. The KSA is analysing the object and working to confirm where exactly it came from.

Rocket debris is designed to burn up during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or to fall over unoccupied areas such as the oceans. Space observer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks rocket movements, said the Kenyan agency could be “mistaken” about the source of the debris.

The astrophysicist told Inside Outer Space: “Totally impossible. The SRBs never reached orbit and have not been ‘in the sky’ since 2011.

“I’m not convinced it’s not from an airplane. Don’t see obvious evidence of reentry heating”.