Discovery of second mystery space object baffles Murcia residents

Less than a week after a mysterious object that may have fallen from a satellite or rocket was discovered in the Murcia countryside, the Civil Guard has opened an investigation into a second, similar sphere that was found on Sunday just a few kilometers away from where the first one turned up.

The object, which is almost identical to the one found by two shepherds last Tuesday, could also be an aerospace industry device, possibly an auxiliary fuel tank for a rocket or a satellite, officials said.

The second sphere was also described as about a meter in diameter and covered in heat-resistant material

The owner of a farm in Calasparra, Murcia province, alerted authorities after finding the sphere on Sunday.

The discovery of the first object by shepherd brothers Francisco and Juan Espín del Amo ignited a wave of speculation in the media and among local residents. Now, the finding of this second sphere is expected to stoke further alarm and conjecture.

Civil Guard officials specializing in nuclear, radiation, bacteriological and chemical threats sent in a team to retrieve the new artifact. They also deployed a crew of bomb experts in the area.

The second object, which was described as about a meter in diameter and covered in heat-resistant material, has been moved to Murcia Civil Guard headquarters until a decision is made on where to take it.

According to authorities, the owner of the farm, which is situated around 300 meters from the Segura river, discovered the object on his property at around 5.30pm Sunday and called emergency services.

Authorities believe that the origin of the two objects could be related since the first sphere was found a few kilometers away in Llanos del Cagitán. But sources at the central government’s delegate office said that a preliminary investigation cannot yet determine where either object came from.

The Civil Guard sent the first object to a chemical center in Cartagena where technicians said that it could be part of a fuel tank that came from a craft or space station.

English version by Martin Delfín.