A Martian meteorite, weighing 54.388 lbs. (24.67 kg), said to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth, at Sotheby’s, in New York, on July 9, 2025. Richard Drew/AP Photo
DAKAR, Senegal—It’s the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth—a 54-pound meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record.
But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible “illicit international trafficking,” claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country.
