KUCHING: The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), through its Space Regulatory Division (BPAngkasa), has confirmed receiving initial reports of a suspected space debris sighting in Sarawak’s airspace on April 7, following widespread circulation of viral videos online.
In a statement, MOSTI said preliminary analysis of the footage suggests the object may be part of space debris, although further verification is still ongoing.
“Based on preliminary analysis of the viral videos, the object is believed to possibly be part of space debris; however, further confirmation is still under investigation.”
Active monitoring is currently being carried out by BPAngkasa in collaboration with the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), with the ministry assuring that it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as necessary.
So far, there have been no official reports of any debris being found on land or in surrounding waters.
The sighting, which went viral on Facebook and was described by observers as a fireball-like object streaking across the sky, attracted widespread attention after being shared by netizens across Sarawak.
Initial reports have also linked the phenomenon to debris from China’s Long March-8 carrier rocket, which was launched from Hainan province on the same day and successfully placed 18 internet satellites into orbit, according to international media reports.
The public have been advised not to touch any suspicious objects and to report sightings immediately to the authorities via the emergency line 999, or directly to BPAngkasa at 03 8885 8685 or via email at bpadg@mosti.gov.my.
