Minnesota Farmer Found an 11-Foot Metal Object in His Cornfield: How It Came From Space
Debris discovered in Minnesota
A farmer in rural Minnesota found a circular metal object while working in a cornfield. The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office said it measured about 11 feet across and posed no danger to the public.
The piece likely came from the upper stage of a Zhuque-2E rocket, built by Chinese company LandSpace. It may have remained unnoticed in the field for six weeks.
A second find in Indonesia
In Indonesia, a plantation worker found a suspected rocket fragment on Monday in a palm oil plantation in Central Kalimantan. Residents had reported a loud bang the previous night in the remote area.
The metallic object is an aluminum plate about 30 feet wide. Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency said it appeared to be from another Zhuque-2E rocket, which launched on October 14 with 10 networking satellites and later reentered over Borneo. Local authorities are investigating the debris, which was found near homes and work sites.
Risks from uncontrolled returns
Rocket stages encounter the atmosphere at high speed as they fall toward Earth. Many parts break apart or vaporize, though larger or more heat-resistant pieces can survive the descent.
Past incidents include debris from a Chinese Long March 5B rocket landing in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia, in August 2022. In May 2020, debris from another Long March 5B fell on two villages in Côte d’Ivoire and damaged homes.
Key points
- A Minnesota farmer found an approximately 11-foot-wide metal object in a cornfield.
- The debris likely came from a Zhuque-2E rocket that launched on September 15.
- A suspected fragment from another Zhuque-2E was found at a plantation in Indonesia.
- Earlier rocket debris incidents damaged homes in Côte d’Ivoire and reached parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.