As competition among nations for space dominance intensifies, concerns are rising that the increasing amount of "space debris" falling from the sky is heightening the risk of casualties.

According to the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) on the 22nd (local time), multiple torn metal fragments were discovered on the 19th morning at a palm oil plantation in the Sampit region of Borneo, Indonesia.

The fragments found by farm workers were each about the size of a car.

Thomas Jamaluddin, a senior space scientist at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), stated in a social media post that these objects were discovered right after reports came in of a very loud noise heard on the evening of the 18th. He added that orbital data showed rocket debris had passed over the region's airspace.

An astronomical society in Brunei, located on Borneo, also reported that residents witnessed a burning fireball streaking across the sky on the 18th. The society transmitted this information to the International Astronomical Centre (IAC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which monitors the Earth-orbit re-entry of satellites.

Based on astronomical calculations and a review of spacecraft data, the UAE center concluded that "this phenomenon is related to the re-entry of relatively large rocket debris into Earth's atmosphere."

The center confirmed that the debris was part of a rocket manufactured by the Chinese private space company LandSpace and launched from China on the 14th of this month. LandSpace did not respond to the NYT's request for comment.

Indonesian authorities have launched their own investigation into this "space debris." This is the third time space debris has been found in Indonesia over the past five years.

Prior to Indonesia, a large metal object measuring 3.35 meters in diameter was found on the 14th in a cornfield in Minnesota, USA.

The local sheriff's office stated that it is "presumed to be an object that fell from space" and is closely cooperating with higher-level agencies to identify the exact identity and owner of the object and make plans to remove it from the field.

A month ago, rumors of fireballs streaking across the skies of Minnesota and Kansas spread on social media, and this metal object may hold the key to solving the mystery of the fireballs.

The European Space Agency (ESA) expresses concern that as rocket debris re-entering the atmosphere increases, "the risk of casualties on the ground is increasing."

Last year in Poland, rocket debris landed near a bustling shopping mall and an airport. In 2024, space debris was also found at a home in Florida, USA, and in a village in Kenya.

In a report released last month, the ESA stated that "space activities continue to increase at an astonishing rate," with more than 300 rocket launches taking place last year alone, sending over 4,000 new payloads into orbit. Last year, the re-entry of rocket bodies or satellites into Earth's atmosphere averaged more than three times a day.

The report pointed out that while there has been progress in safety management—such as an increase in cases where rocket bodies re-enter the atmosphere in a controlled state—the risks posed by space debris are still growing.

The report warned that although the likelihood of casualties caused by space debris is low compared to various risks in daily life, the risks are accumulating as both rocket launches and atmospheric re-entry activities increase.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]