Saskatchewan farmer who found space junk in field not alone; others discover debris

ITUNA, Sask. — A Saskatchewan man who found a giant piece of space junk on his farm says he is not alone.

Barry Sawchuk says five more fragments of debris from high in the sky have been found by his neighbours.

Sawchuk has a farm north of Regina and last month discovered in his field a large rectangular piece of scorched, honeycombed aluminum carbon fibre as tall as he is.

He says he been contacted by SpaceX and is negotiating a fee to return it, even though the spacecraft manufacturer owned by Elon Musk has not publicly acknowledged it came from one of its rockets.

Saskatchewan astronomy professor Samantha Lawler says there are likely many more pieces still out there.

Lawler says the fact they didn’t burn up in the atmosphere is a black eye for SpaceX.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2024.

The Canadian Press