The trunk is at the base of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, below where the astronauts sit, and is usually used to carry cargo. It’s covered in solar panels that provide power “in flight and while on station,” according to SpaceX’s website.
This part of the vehicle is ejected shortly before the capsule re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere. NASA said the trunk was expected to burn up completely in the atmosphere, but its discovery, along with several others, suggests parts of the vehicle are capable of surviving the fiery journey.
SpaceX did not immediately return a request for comment.
The piece Klontz found was charred and covered in carbon fiber. It weighs about 90 pounds — too awkward and large for one person to carry — and he said he wasn’t sure at first if it was safe to touch.
“It’s just something you don’t usually see,” Klontz said. “I’ve seen spaceships and stuff on TV, but the average person can’t see them up close.”
Some smaller pieces of debris were also found in the yards of two residents in nearby towns, according to local news reports.
In its statement, NASA said it was “not aware of any structural damage or injuries resulting from these findings.”
NASA said the debris was from SpaceX’s Crew-7 mission, which blasted off into space on Aug. 26, 2023, then returned after a six-month expedition to the space station.
Last month, a piece of suspected luggage debris from a separate SpaceX mission was found in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan, Canada, according to NASA.
An uncrewed SpaceX mission to deliver supplies to the space station also resulted in debris falling over Saudi Arabia, the agency said.
Debris from a Crew Dragon trunk also landed in Colorado last year, and a similar incident occurred in 2022 in Australia, NASA said.
A 1.6-kilogram piece of metallic space debris — though not from a SpaceX vehicle — ripped through a home in Naples, Fla., in March. It comes from a cargo pallet that was deliberately dropped from the International Space Station.
The Florida family that owns the home is suing NASA for damages and claiming the accident also caused them emotional distress.
In response to questions about that lawsuit, Jimmy Russell, public affairs officer for NASA’s space operations, said in an email that “it would not be appropriate for NASA to comment on a pending lawsuit.”
It’s common for space agencies and companies to let malfunctioning hardware burn up in the atmosphere, but sometimes some parts survive re-entry. While it’s rare for space debris to fall over populated areas, given that most of the planet is covered by ocean, recent events raise questions about whether that risk could increase with more frequent space launches.
NASA said that if people come across what they suspect is debris from SpaceX, they can contact the company’s debris hotline (1-866-623-0234 or recovery@spacex.com).
A Crew Dragon capsule – with the trunk section attached – is currently parked on the International Space Station. NASA said the spacecraft is expected to return to Earth with its crew later this summer.
The agency said it plans to work with SpaceX to explore “additional solutions as we learn from the recovered debris.”
“NASA and SpaceX remain committed to protecting the public, astronauts and ground crews,” the agency said.
Klontz said the piece of space debris is now on display at The Glamping Collective behind a glass case. So far, neither SpaceX nor NASA has asked to retrieve it, he said.
“Every time I look at him, I think how cool he is,” Klontz said. “To think that it was launched from Florida, went into outer space and came back down and a piece of it flew right over North Carolina is pretty cool.”
