A farmer in west-central Minnesota discovered a large circular metal object in his cornfield during the fall harvest, according to the Stevens County Sheriff's Office. The object, about 11 feet in diameter, matches the upper stage diameter of a Zhuque-2E rocket built by Chinese commercial launch company LandSpace. The rocket launched September 15 from the Dongfeng commercial spaceport in northwest China and reentered the atmosphere over the American Midwest about 75 to 80 minutes later.
The incident is notable because the debris was unusually large and because it came from a rocket that fell out of orbit the same day it launched. LandSpace had deployed 10 satellites for the Qianfan communications network, a Chinese counterpart to Starlink, before attempting a deorbit burn. The report suggests the burn may have been botched, since the usual practice is to steer rocket stages over the ocean.
For the commercial space industry, the event underscores the risks attached to rocket disposal. The previous Zhuque-2E flight broke apart in orbit after completing its mission, leaving debris in a busy low-Earth orbit corridor. LandSpace has not publicly acknowledged the Minnesota debris, and no injuries or property damage beyond the cornfield were reported. Under international law, China, as the launching state, would be liable for any damage caused by the object on the ground.