A flaming chunk of suspected space junk has crash landed in outback Western Australia .

Stunned workers at a Pilbara mine site found the mysterious item burning about 2pm (5pm AEDT) yesterday and alerted emergency services.

Investigators confirmed the carbon fibre waste was not from a commercial aircraft.

Police said it appeared to be a "composite-overwrapped pressure vessel or rocket tank, consistent with aerospace components".

"The object remains under investigation, though its characteristics are consistent with known space re-entry debris," police said, in a statement

"Further technical assessment will be undertaken by engineers from the Australian Space Agency to assist in identifying its nature and source."

Space agencies often drop debris into the atmosphere.

"It

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