The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has confirmed that a piece of metal from a space object fell on Kenyan soil. This metallic ring measuring approximately 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing about 500 kg fell at an empty spot in Mukuku Village, Makueni County. Its first sighting was on Monday, 30/12/2024, at around 1500hrs.
In a public notice, KSA stated, “Preliminary assessments indicate that the fallen object is a separation ring from a launch vehicle (rocket).” The agency was quick to add that this is not a common occurrence and it is still conducting investigations on the matter,
It was reported by locals that the area had to be secured by police and local authorities. This was because some “entrepreneurial” Kenyans had rushed to the scene with the hope of cashing in at a scrap yard.
KSA confirmed the reports stating, “Officials rushed to the scene and, working alongside a multi-agency team and local authorities, secured the area and retrieved the debris, which is now under the Agency’s custody for further investigation”.
Importantly, the public is notified that the object poses no immediate threat to safety. The space agency is yet to establish from which space object the ring came from. KSA added that there are currently approximately 29,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10 cm, 670,000 pieces larger than 1 cm, and over 170 million pieces larger than 1 mm in Earth’s orbit.
