Brazilian Fisherman Finds Satellite Launch Debris In River

A fisherman thought it was just another day on the river – until he netted a chunk of debris from a satellite.

The debris, which has been confirmed as coming from a satellite launched from the Kourou base in French Guiana, was found by Manoel Alves, 73, while fishing on a remote river in the Amazon region of northern Brazil.

The car-sized metal panel bears the logo of the UK Space Agency and the European satellite company Arianespace. It is thought to be from the carbon fibre outer hull on the payload fairing.

The panel is said to be a piece of the satellite’s outer hull (Picture: PA)

A spokesperson for the UK Space Agency, Julia Short, confirmed that the debris was from the Ariane 5 rocket that launched Europe’s largest telecommunications satellite.

‘It is the launch vehicle payload shroud from the Alphasat launch last year,’ she said.

‘It probably landed in the Atlantic and then floated inland.’

Alphasat, described as Europe’s most sophisticated telecommunications satellite, was launched from the Kourou base on 25 July.