A large scorched metal object found by a farmer in a cornfield in west-central Minnesota is probably part of a Chinese rocket, according to space observers cited by the South China Morning Post.
The bowl-shaped piece, about 3.35 metres across, was discovered during the harvest on 14 October. Observers believe it is the end cap of a fuel tank from a Zhuque-2E rocket built by the Beijing-based private company LandSpace, launched on 15 September. The object matches the rocket's diameter, and LandSpace had described the mission as a success.
A British astronomer who has tracked launches for more than 30 years told the newspaper the find was embarrassing for China and could technically count as an international incident under a UN convention on liability for damage caused by space objects.
Source: SCMP China
