OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — A large sheet of metal found on a North Carolina beach has been identified as debris from a SpaceX rocket.
The National Park Service told The Charlotte Observer that Elon Musk's rocket-building company confirmed the 10-foot by 6-foot debris found Sunday was "rocket hardware." Chief Ranger Boone Vandzura of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore says "it's being handled appropriately."
This isn't the first time chunks of a SpaceX rocket has been found on an Outer Banks beach. Last October, a 15-foot long section of a jettisoned nose cone was found near Hatteras Village.
With Sunday's Ocracoke Island find, the type of rocket and its launch date wasn't released. According to The Outer Banks Voice, the most recent launch from Florida by SpaceX was on September 10.
The Outer Banks were hit by Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael, which caused flooding that can wash debris ashore.