A Chinese rocket deorbited over Minnesota and left this in a farmer's cornfield
All the evidence points to the debris being part of a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket.
TL;DR
- A farmer in rural Minnesota discovered a large, circular metal object, about 11 feet in diameter, in his cornfield.
- Experts believe the object is debris from a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket that launched on September 15 and deorbited over the American Midwest.
- The Zhuque-2E rocket deployed 10 satellites for China's Qianfan communications network.
- The size of the discovered object matches the diameter of the Zhuque-2E rocket's upper stage.
- International law holds the launching country liable for any damage caused by space debris.
- The incident may have resulted from a failed deorbit burn, as rocket debris is typically steered toward ocean reentries.