The fall of the giant metal ring in the village of Mokoko, Kenya

A giant metal ring, which Kenyan authorities said fell from the sky at around 3pm local time on Monday and landed in the village of Mokoko, is described as 2.5m in diameter and weighing approximately 500kg. Officials at the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) said the space object, which witnesses said was still red and hot when it landed, is likely the separation ring of a rocket. They also announced that they are reviewing the piece in question.

“Such objects are usually designed to burn up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere or crash in uninhabited areas such as oceans,” Kenya’s space agency said in a statement. The agency also stressed that the object poses no threat to public safety.

However, on Friday, the agency in Nairobi was forced to issue a statement to deny the rumors that have been circulating recently about the origin of the object. Some reports, including the African Nation news agency, have claimed that the piece of metal is space debris from a failed experiment from India’s space research program. Rumors that the Kenyan government is demanding compensation from India due to the dangers caused by the fall of this object in a residential area.

“Kenya Space Agency has not yet reached any conclusion and has not attributed the origin of this space object to any space actor,” the Kenya Space Agency said in an official statement. The agency clarified that the claim for compensation, allegedly made by the Kenyan government, is false and should be ignored.

Hilary Kipkosgi, Kenya Space Agency Acting Director General and CEO of the agency, announced that the results of the investigation will be made public as more information becomes available. He added: “This investigation will be conducted in accordance with international space laws.” Subsequently, Nation Africa published a report that refuted the Kenya Space Agency’s claims and stated that “a claim for compensation for rocket parts has been made by a senior official of the Kenya Space Agency”. Africa Nation also admitted that the said official “was not authorized to issue press statements and published this information before announcing the agency’s official position”.

In March 2023, a large piece of space debris hit a residential home in Florida. This piece passed through the roof and two floors of the house and fortunately did not cause any damage to the owner of the house. NASA confirmed that the piece was part of the International Space Station equipment used to launch spent nickel batteries into space. After this incident, the landlord took NASA to court and asked for 80,000 dollars in compensation.

That same month, residents of Southern California witnessed a fireball in the night sky that was later confirmed by US space officials to be the return of a Chinese orbital module launched in 2022. With the increasing problems caused by space debris, there have been calls for new regulations at the international level to hold spacecraft manufacturers and users accountable for this debris. To see other news, refer to Tekna’s astronomy news page.