A Minnesota farmer harvesting corn last Wednesday stumbled onto an 11-foot metallic object that authorities now believe is space debris.
The discovery came around 3:30 p.m. Just outside Scott Township in Stevens County, in the western part of the state, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office said. The farmer found the massive hunk of metal sitting in the middle of the crop field while working.
Based on the size of the corn growing from underneath it, the farmer estimated the object had been sitting in the field for at least six weeks before it was found. The corn had grown up around and beneath the debris, suggesting it landed there well before harvest season got underway.
Local authorities quickly labeled the find “presumably a space object.” The oversized piece of junk came complete with serial numbers that investigators hope could help them track down its owner.
Federal and state agents are now working together on two fronts: identifying where the object came from and figuring out how to remove it from the field. The investigation remains active as officials try to trace the debris back to its source.
The sheriff’s office emphasized that the metallic heap poses no danger to the public. Officials have not speculated publicly on what specific launch or mission might have produced the debris.
The case highlights the growing issue of space junk falling back to Earth, with discarded rocket parts and defunct satellites occasionally surviving reentry and reaching the ground intact. While most debris burns up in the atmosphere, larger pieces can make it through, sometimes landing in remote or unexpected locations.
The Stevens County discovery is not the first time suspected space debris has turned up in an American farm field. Similar finds in recent years have included rocket components from commercial and government launches, often traced to specific missions through serial numbers and markings.