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A SpaceX rocket was spotted off Christmas Island after a splashdown.

A SpaceX rocket was spotted off Christmas Island after a splashdown.
A SpaceX rocket was spotted off Christmas Island after a splashdown.

Residents of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, were surprised to see a 52-meter SpaceX rocket towed off their coast after a test flight from Texas on July 24.

It was on his way to work that David Watchorn, president of the Christmas Island tourism association, first thought he saw ships on the horizon. The reality proved far more spectacular: "a rocket, a space rocket," being towed across the waters of the Indian Ocean.

The craft belongs to SpaceX. Measuring 52 meters long, it took off from Texas on July 24th before touching down in the Indian Ocean following a test flight. Its unexpected presence off Christmas Island quickly caused a stir among the local population.

Some residents quietly left their jobs to catch a glimpse of the object, while others prepared their boats to observe the debris more closely. "It's truly incredible to think about what it went through," said Watchorn. "The more you look at it, the more fascinating it becomes."

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