Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Indonesia rocket debris?
Image credit: BRIN

When it rains space debris.

Two cases of suspected Chinese rocket debris have been reported, in Indonesia and in the United States.

Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) reports that several bits of debris crashed into an oil palm plantation in Sampit, East Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan.

BRIN researcher, Thomas Djamaluddin, said the object found on October 19 was a fragment of a Chinese ZhuQue-2E (ZQ-2E) rocket. There is a ZQE code associated with the ZhuQue-2E rocket, he adds.

There is a ZQE code associated with the ZhuQue-2E rocket.
Image credit: BRIN

The rocket was developed by LandSpace, a Chinese commercial space startup and departed from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on October 14, 2026, carrying ten satellites.

Minnesota object.
Image credit: Stevens County Sheriff’s Office

Minnesota mishap

Yet another incident of possible space junk took place on October 14, 2026, at approximately 3:30pm, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota received a phone call of foreign debris that was found in a cornfield in Scott Township.

“Upon responding, deputies confirmed that a large, metallic object, approximately 11-feet in diameter, presumably a space object, was present in the cornfield,” reports the sheriff’s office.

The Minnesota duty officer was notified of this and federal agencies responded.

Image credit: LandSpace

“The Sheriff’s Office is working closely with several state and federal agencies to identify and notify the owner of the debris and to plan for removal from the field. Agency officials have determined that there is no danger to the public due to this incident,” the office stated in a press release.

In a twisted bit of irony, the Minnesota debris may also be associated with a LandSpace Zhuque-2E rocket. According to Ars Technica, it could be tied to the rocket’s upper stage, hardware launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 15.

In both cases – Sampit and Scott Township — the recovered fragments are being examined to help identify their origin.

Image credit: LandSpace