Mystery solved: they discover what the cylinder found on an Australian beach is

() – A mysterious cylinder that washed ashore in Western Australia is part of the wreckage of an Indian space launch, authorities in both countries said, ending a flurry of speculation about the object’s origin.

The cylinder was part of a polar satellite launch vehicle that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had previously launched, ISRO director Sudheer Kumar told .

The Australian Space Agency had tweeted earlier on Monday that it had concluded its investigation into the object and had reached the same conclusion.

Since appearing in July on a beach in Green Head, a coastal town 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of Perth, the copper-coloured cylinder had attracted to curious local residents eager to catch a glimpse of the unidentified object.

Speculation also erupted online with people posting a number of theories about where it could have come from.

But police had said space debris was the most likely answer. The Australian Space Agency said on Monday that if more suspicious objects were found, local authorities should be informed.

“The PSLV is a medium-lift launch vehicle operated by ISRO. The debris remains in storage and the Australian Space Agency is working with ISRO, which will provide further confirmation to determine next steps, including consideration of obligations under the United Nations space treaties,” the Australian space agency added.

The bulky cylinder, which is taller than a human, appears to be damaged at one end and is covered in barnacles, suggesting it spent a significant amount of time at sea before reaching shore.

ISRO confirmed to that “as of now there were no such plans to bring the object back to India.”

Australia’s space agency had urged people to avoid handling and moving the object because of its unknown origin. Police earlier said the item did not appear to have come from a commercial aircraft and pledged to protect it until it was removed.

Space rockets are multistage, meaning they are made up of several fuel-carrying compartments, each of which is dumped in a sequential order when the propellant is exhausted, with much of the debris falling back to Earth.