July 6 (UPI) -- Mysterious metal spheres found on a beach in Queensland, Australia, were likely pressure vessels from a space launch -- also known as "space balls," the Australian Space Agency said.
The spheres caused concern during the weekend when they were spotted in the sand in Forrest Beach, near Ingham.
The objects were initially unidentified, but were considered "potentially hazardous" by the Queensland Fire Department, which cordoned off an "exclusion zone" around the area and had the spheres examined by firefighters in hazmat gear.
An Australian Space Agency spokesperson said Monday that the objects had been recovered and identified.
"The recovered objects appear to be pressure vessels from a space launch vehicle," the spokesperson told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "The Agency has identified the likely source -- objects' location and characteristics are consistent with debris from a foreign rocket body that recently re-entered the atmosphere from orbit."
