The Australian Space Discovery Centre is home to several 'out-of-this-world' displays, and a new exhibit has just moved in.
In 2022, a part of SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule, which carried NASA's Crew 1 back to Earth from the International Space Station, landed in southern New South Wales, Australia.
It's considered to be hardware that was intentionally jettisoned from the capsule as the spacecraft re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere with four astronauts.
The mission's crew comprised of NASA’s Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi, an astronaut with Japan’s space agency. This was the same NASA and SpaceX mission that also saw Purra go to space.
What is space debris?
Space debris may be generated from a variety of re-entering space objects, such as satellites or launch vehicles that do not completely burn up as they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere.
On occasion, space debris can land or wash up in Australia.
In addition to the Dragon 2 capsule fragments, the other notable examples of debris landing in Australia include:
- A part of the Skylab space station that landed in Western Australia in 1979.
- A pressure vessel from a launch vehicle that washed up in Western Australia in 2023.
Viewing the SpaceX Dragon 2 debris exhibit
To view the special display, visitors can enter Lot Fourteen via North Terrace and walk towards the back of the McEwin Building, which is home to the Australian Space Discovery Centre.
The Discovery Centre is located on the east end of North Terrace in Adelaide.
Its Lot Fourteen address is 364-370 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000.
Australian Space Discovery Centre
Learn about Australia’s role in space and be inspired by stories of opportunity, curiosity and technology.
The sustainability of space activities and Australia’s space industry
Australia is committed to being a responsible actor in space, and it balances its achievements in space with environmental and social impacts.
Australian space companies such as HEO and Neumann Space are enabling more sustainable space activities in Australia and internationally. Both companies are supported by Australian Space Agency grant programs.
Sustainability of space activities
A sustainable space sector means Australians can continue to benefit from space services now and into the future.