Minnesota farmer finds suspected Chinese rocket debris

A farmer in west-central Minnesota found a scorched metal dome about 11 feet wide on October 14 that astronomer Jonathan McDowell suspects is a fuel-tank end cap from LandSpace's Zhuque-2E rocket, launched September 15. The origin is unconfirmed and LandSpace did not comment. McDowell believes the stage's engine may have fired longer than planned, sending it into the atmosphere immediately instead of a lower orbit.

• The ~11-foot dome matches the diameter of the Zhuque-2E rocket
• The rocket launched September 15 and deployed 10 Qianfan satellites
• McDowell suspects the engine fired harder or longer than intended
• The 1972 UN convention puts liability on the launching country