Curtin University's Meteorite Discovery in the Australian Outback

A remarkable meteor event lit up the skies over Western Australia on Mother's Day this year, leading the Curtin University Desert Fireball Network (DFN) to undertake an expedition into the Australian Outback to locate the meteorite's landing site. The DFN, in collaboration with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and Curtin's Space Science and Technology Centre, employed advanced weather modeling techniques and a network of high-resolution cameras to predict the meteorite's descent into the Wheatbelt region, specifically the remote salt flats of Lake Hope, located 530 kilometers east of Perth on Ngadju boodja.

The expedition involved an arduous journey requiring hundreds of kilometers of driving, off-road four-wheel driving, and a night spent camping under the stars. A final seven-kilometer trek on foot across Lake Hope resulted in the discovery of the meteorite impact zone, where DFN team member Mia Walker expressed her excitement: "It was so amazing to be the first person to ever touch it. This piece of rock is older than the Earth and was in space just a few days ago."

The team successfully located a second fragment nearby, marking their largest recovery of space rock to date. DFN Science Lead Dr. Hadrien Devillepoix emphasized the significance of the find, noting, "It was a close call because there was rain forecast, so the lake could have been covered in water in a couple of days, and the meteorite fragments might have been lost forever. This is such an exciting find. These pieces of space rock have been traveling the solar system for 4.5 billion years, and now we can use them for science."

Dr. Ellie Sansom, DFN Director, highlighted the scientific value of meteorite falls, stating, "Meteorites can be matched to their origins in the solar system by calculating the impacting orbit. There are only about 60 meteorites globally that we have orbital information for; this is the 10th in Australia, tracked and recovered by the DFN. This meteorite comes from a particularly interesting orbit and it's invaluable to have retrieved as much of it as we have."

One of the recovered fragments is set to go on display at the WA Museum Boola Bardip this week, coinciding with Curtin University hosting 300 meteorite experts for the 2025 Meteoroids Conference and the International Meteoritical Society's annual meeting. This display serves to highlight Australian expertise in planetary science.

Preliminary findings from measurements conducted at Monash University suggest that the meteorite is classified as an LL ordinary chondrite, a relatively rare type of meteorite that shares characteristics with one that fell over Russia in 2013, causing over $50 million in property damages due to a shockwave. The similarities in their orbits may offer insights into the locations of these types of asteroids.

Professor Mark Ogden, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Curtin's Faculty of Science and Engineering, remarked on the university's capabilities in tracking meteorites and analyzing their composition: "Curtin is one of the few universities in the world capable of this kind of tracking while having the world-leading instruments required for analysis at the John de Laeter Centre. Curtin is the number one ranked university in Australia for earth sciences and is recognized globally as a hub for space research."

As the construction of the ambitious B316 Sciences Building progresses, Curtin University aims to continue its leadership in science and engineering, fostering a robust environment for research, education, and exploration in the years ahead.