An Abandoned SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon
The impact could carve a 20- to 30-meter crater and add pressure for clearer rules on lunar activity, researchers said.
- On August 5, an abandoned SpaceX rocket stage will collide with the Moon at around 8,700 kilometres per hour, having launched in January 2025 to deliver commercial lunar landers before running out of fuel.
- The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by 138 nations, prevents any country from claiming lunar sovereignty but offers remarkably little practical environmental regulation or governance framework.
- Humans have already left more than 187,000 kilograms of material on the Moon, yet unlike Earth, the lunar surface lacks UNESCO World Heritage protections, domestic heritage laws, or environmental regulation.
- The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space are exploring solutions including standardized 'Notices to Lunar Operators' to flag landing sites and dust-generating activity.
- Commercial enterprises are throwing vast amounts of money at the lunar race, outpacing current legal frameworks and prompting calls for a fourth UN Conference on Outer Space to establish governance tools before the next accident.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The remnant of the rocket that launched two lunar landers on September 15, 2025, is expected to impact the lunar surface. One was Firefly's Blue Ghost-1, and the other was Resilience from the Japanese company ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 2. The American lander successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, 2025, making Firefly the first commercial company to soft-land a lander on the Moon. The Japanese lander, in turn, entered lunar orbit on May 6 of …
When an abandoned SpaceX rocket crashes into the Moon
In the early hours of August 5 (UTC), an abandoned SpaceX rocket stage is expected to slam into the Moon at around 8,700 kilometers per hour. Launched in January 2025, the rocket sent two commercial lunar landers toward Earth’s nearest neighbor. With its work done, the rocket lacked the fuel to return to Earth or […] The post When an abandoned SpaceX rocket crashes into the Moon appeared first on Asia Times.
An abandoned SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the Moon. The real problem comes next
Trevor Mahlmann / Firefly AerospaceIn the early hours of August 5 (UTC), an abandoned SpaceX rocket stage is expected to slam into the Moon at around 8,700 kilometres per hour. Launched in January 2025, the rocket sent two commercial lunar landers toward Earth’s nearest neighbour. With its work done, the rocket lacked the fuel to return to Earth or move into deep space. It remained in an unstable orbit until gravity finally set it on a collision…
The lunar surface is bombarded quite often by various larger and smaller bodies, and now and then there is an unsuccessful landing of a probe sent from Earth. Now, according to calculations, the remains of a SpaceX carrier are supposed to land on the surface of our companion. Astronomers are taking this as an opportunity to observe the changes that will occur...
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