KUCHING, Aug 2: There is no radioactive element detected on the two metal objects, believed to be debris from China’s Long March 5B rocket, discovered at Kampung Nyalau in Bintulu and Kampung Sepupok Lama in Niah, Miri.
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) confirmed this after a team of investigators from its Angkasa Enforcement Division, Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), and Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) were deployed to the two locations following reports of the alien object’s discovery by villagers yesterday (Aug 1).
“At 1.45pm yesterday (Aug 1), four officers from AELB Bintulu District together with the Hazardous Material Unit Team (Hazmat) of the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) and Bintulu police conducted an investigation at the first location at Kampung Nyalau, Bintulu.
“Initial investigation found that the first suspicious object measuring about five inches did not emit any radiation, and no radioactive element was detected on the object. The second suspicious object in Batu Niah, Miri, also showed the same result,” Mosti said in a statement today.
With that, both objects are deemed to be safe for further investigation and analysis to be implemented.
Mosti, through MYSA and in collaboration with the Malaysia Chemistry Department, will conduct a detailed investigation into the two objects found to determine whether they belonged to China’s Long March 5B rocket.
“The results of the investigation and analysis will be disclosed later, and appropriate action will be considered in accordance with Act 834 (Malaysian Space Agency Act 2022) and international treaties related to space under the management of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA),” the Ministry added.
The alien objects were discovered after news broke that the remains of a Chinese rocket hurtled back towards Earth.
In the wee hours of July 31, netizens captured videos of the fiery debris passing over the Malaysian sky, including over the sky above the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN Sarawak), as chucks of the rocket body made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Video recordings of this sighting had gone viral over social media and later Mosti through MYSA, and a statement from the China Space Agency yesterday confirmed that the rocket debris had caught fire during its re-entry. — DayakDaily
