FORT LAUDERDALE — An object that may be a large piece of a rocket was discovered on the beach behind an oceanfront hotel early Sunday.

The metal object, which appeared to bear the markings of the European Union's Galileo satellite program, was discovered behind the Sun Tower Hotel & Suites, 2030 N. Ocean Blvd., according to Fort Lauderdale police.

The fragment, about the size of a mattress, was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape held in place by plastic chairs. The object attracted scores of onlookers until late Sunday morning when it was tractored off the beach by a city cleanup crew and handed over to police.

Police hauled the debris away and planned to hold it for inspection by Federal Aviation Administration officials on Monday, according to police Capt. Frank Sousa.

Several rockets have been launched from the French and European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America. The EU's Galileo satellite navigation system now has eight satellites in orbit following the launch of the latest pair in March.

How the debris ended up on the Fort Lauderdale beach is under investigation.

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Quelle: SunSentinel