Possible Piece of Galileo Rocket Found on Florida Beach

Screenshot from video by WPLG-TV, Miami, Fla.

A metal object that may be a large piece of a Galileo rocket has been found on a Florida beach. The object appeared to bear the markings of the European Union’s Galileo satellite program, reports the SunSentinel.

It was discovered Sunday behind the oceanfront Sun Tower Hotel & Suites in Fort Lauderdale.

The mattress-sized fragment  attracted onlookers until late Sunday morning when it was tractored off the beach by a city cleanup crew and handed over to police. Police hauled the debris away and planned to hold it for inspection by Federal Aviation Administration officials on Monday, according to police Capt. Frank Sousa.

Several rockets have been launched from the French and European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America. The EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system now has eight satellites in orbit following the launch of the latest pair in March. How the debris ended up on the Fort Lauderdale beach is under investigation.