Sale of Mars rock out of this world

Rock from Mars sells in the US - 1st September 2025

In Niger, experts are discussing the sale of a rock from Mars. The rock, a meteorite, has just sold for $5.3 million in New York.

Most meteorites that are found are only small. But this one, 'NWA 16788', weighs 24.5 kg. Officials say it's the heaviest in the world.

The rocks can fall anywhere, but they're often found in the Sahara desert. The climate suits them there. And there are also few people around. NWA 16788 was discovered in the Agadez area. It was then sent to the owner of a large gallery in Italy.

According to Nigerien authorities, this is when the problem began. One professor explained, "International law says you cannot simply take something" that's important to a country.

This Martian rock arrived in Italy, where two slices were removed for scientific purposes. The meteorite was sent on to New York to be sold. Both the seller and the buyer are unknown. It's said that all of the documents were arranged properly at every point. However, the Nigerien government's looking into what happened.

It's believed that most of these rocks sell into private collections. The difficulty is how to keep these special objects for research and for society.