Residents of Campo Rossi, in the region of Puerto Tirol, in Chaco, lived an unusual scene on Thursday (25): a metallic cylinder emerged embedded in the soil of a private property, raising suspicions of falling space waste.
The landowner, Ramón Ricardo González, called the local police, who confirmed the presence of the artifact and called the Metropolitan Fire Department. The site was isolated to avoid risk of explosion, and specialized technicians began the analysis of the material.
Initially surrounded by speculation, some residents considered until it was part of a Spacex rocket, the object was identified by the provincial police as a rocket fuel tank capsule.
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Produced in carbon fiber, this type of tank carries hydrazine, highly toxic fuel. By precaution, the authorities recommended to the population not to touch similar objects and reinforced the interdiction of the area.
The Argentina Air Force is expected to send a team on Friday (26) to safely remove the cylinder, according to the local Argentine newspaper North newspaper.
The alert of experts
The episode rekindles concerns about increasing orbital debris. Although not common in northern Argentina, spaces of space fragments have become increasingly frequent. According to experts, the lack of control over these materials threatens not only soil communities, but also future space missions.
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Sidney Chocron, scientist at Southwest Research Institute (SWRI), heard by BBCIt points out that smaller satellites impacts often go unnoticed, but can compromise critical systems: “Our monitoring device helps anticipate damage before they become irreversible,” he said.
History in the region
Chaco is known by another cosmic phenomenon: Campo del Cielo, where metallic meteorites have fallen about four thousand years ago. There were some of the largest iron masses ever recorded, including a meteorite of more than 30 tons discovered in 2016.
The new episode, however, is not of natural origin, but the result of the growing spatial pollution. For scientists, it is another sign of the urgency to establish international standards that regulate the reentry and disposal of orbital materials.
