Debris from U.S. entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space rocket, which blew up minutes after liftoff in June from Cape Canaveral, Florida, has been discovered washed up on the Isles of Scilly off the south west coast of Britain.
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The markings of American flag on the debris suggested that it might be a part of the Falcon 9 rocket.
A large piece of metal alloy, about 10 meters by 4 meters, was spotted between Bryher and Tresco; local and professional boatmen helped bring it in to the beach at Tresco.
In a statement, Coastal Area Commander Martin Leslie announced that the debris, more than 4,000 miles away from where the rocket took off, was assumed to be a fraction of the Falcon 9.
In April, the company’s Dragon capsule reached the International Space Station in a major milestone for the industry.
“We’re grateful for those who helped in recovery – it was great example of the community working together”.
It was covered in barnacles and was initially mistaken for a dead whale.
A painted American flag and the name “Falcon 9” were prominent on the metal fragment.
“We tried to drag it ashore with a hook, but it bent it”, he told the BBC.
“First thoughts were that it was part of a plane, but then we scraped the barnacles off and we saw it was part of a rocket”, he said.
“It’s not every day a bit of a rocket floats up at home”, said Thomas.
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The coastguard said that it received a report of debris on Thursday afternoon.
