A fragment, which with a high degree of probability belongs to a Chinese space rocket, was found by local residents on the shore of the Japanese island of Okinoerabu in Kagoshima Prefecture.
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According to local media reports, a message about the find came from a local resident on April 20, but this became known only now.
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The size of the fragment is approximately three meters long and two meters wide. The surface is painted white and decorated with a pattern of yellow stars on a red background. In addition, the phrase “exhaust hole” written in Chinese characters can be seen on the fragment.
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According to experts, the fragment nailed to the shore is part of the fairing located at the top of the rocket.
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The China Space Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced on April 16 that at 09:36 local time from the Jiuquan Cosmodrome in Gansu Province in northwest China, it successfully launched the Fengyun-3 meteorological satellite using the Changzheng-4B launch vehicle.
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In turn, China’s maritime safety administration issued a notice stating that on the morning of April 16, rocket fragments could fall into the East China Sea north of the island of Taiwan. It was noted that from 09.00 to 15.00 on April 16, access to this area is prohibited.
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Okinoerabu Island is part of the Amami Islands of the Nansei Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The distance from the island to the capital of Taiwan Taipei is approximately 500 kilometers.
