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Space rocket debris found floating in Amazon

THE one that didn’t get away. A 73-year-old fisherman has bagged the catch of his life after hooking part of a space rocket.

There are no prizes for guessing who this belongs to.
There are no prizes for guessing who this belongs to.

A BRAZILIAN fisherman has reeled in the most unusual catch of his career, snagging a section of a space rocket.

The panel measuring larger than a car was found floating in a remote river in the municipality of Salinopolis by 73-year-old local Manuel Alves Dos Santos.

But the find was so bizarre authorities didn’t believe him.

The metal panel forms part of the Alphasat communications satellite and has been described as being as big as a car.
The metal panel forms part of the Alphasat communications satellite and has been described as being as big as a car.

The fishy catch was no UFO; in a report by the BBC the panel has been identified as debris from a European communications satellite launched in French Guiana.

It has been easy to track down its owner, UK Space Agency, as it their name and logo are plastered over it.

There are no prizes for guessing who this belongs to.
There are no prizes for guessing who this belongs to.

Julia Short, a spokesperson for the UK Space Agency told the BBC:

“It is the launch vehicle payload shroud from the Alphasat launch last year. It probably landed in the Atlantic and then floated inland.”

Locals club together to haul in the debris after authorities failed to believe the finding. Now, the UK has been told to come take it back.
Locals club together to haul in the debris after authorities failed to believe the finding. Now, the UK has been told to come take it back.

The Alphasat took off for space on July 25 and is described as Europe’s most sophisticated satellite. According to the report it took more than 10 people to retrieve the panel from the river.

Authorities finally responded to the find to recover the object and have contacted the UK to let them know they can come collect their space litter.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space-rocket-debris-found-floating-in-amazon/news-story/e4b82c7d568e47747095f6b57daa63cb