space ball

This is the name given to metal spherical objects from space, the latest of which have washed up on a beach in Queensland.  They are thought to be parts of the fuel system of a rocket which are designed to take very high temperatures, higher than those experienced during reentry, so that they survive that experience. They range in size, depending on what they were originally designed to do. If they are empty they float and eventually wash up somewhere. Space debris is in general terms classified as large debris (over 10 cm), medium debris (1 cm to 10 cm) and micro debris (less than 1 cm).

Dozens of these have been recovered from such countries as Australia, New Zealand, Namibia and the United States.  Many many more have fallen to earth somewhere and sunk without trace. And we can expect many more as space traffic increases.