Discarded SpaceX Rocket on High-Speed Collision Course with Moon
Scientists say the impact will create a small crater and a dust plume visible to telescopes for several minutes.
- On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage will unintentionally impact the moon's western limb near Einstein Crater at 5,400 mph, according to space tracking expert Bill Gray.
- Although SpaceX did not intend for the rocket to strike the moon, experts suggest the collision could have been avoided by directing the upper stage into a solar orbit after completing its mission.
- The 40-foot, 10,000-pound segment will carve a crater nearly 90 feet across and 16 feet deep, packing energy equivalent to three tons of TNT with ejected material visible to telescopes for tens of minutes.
- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter will capture before-and-after images, with Danuri passing within a mile or two of the rocket just two minutes before impact.
- Researchers view the event as an opportunity to study debris hazards for future lunar missions, though retired astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell warned that as lunar bases become common, leaving rockets in chaotic orbits presents long-term issues.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Discarded SpaceX rocket on high-speed collision course with moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP): A drifting SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers more than a year ago. The rocket’s upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon on Wednesday, carving out a crater and sending up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists – and skygazers – are eager to observe.
Zero Hedge
Collision Next Week: Spent SpaceX Rocket Set To Slam Into Moon
Collision Next Week: Spent SpaceX Rocket Set To Slam Into Moon A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is forecast to slam into the moon near Einstein Crater early Wednesday morning, potentially producing the first impact plume observed from Earth against the lunar surface's sunlit side. William Jo, a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering, and five co-authors posted a preprint to arXiv detailing th…
The collision is expected to occur near the Einstein and Bell craters near the western edge of the moon.
Scientists have predicted that a SpaceX rocket will crash into the Moon on August 5: EADaily
EADaily, August 1st, 2026. The remaining upper stage of the SpaceX rocket, launched in January 2025, is on a collision course with the Moon. According to experts, the strike will take place on August 5 and will be the second known case of an unintentional fall of a spent rocket to the surface of an Earth satellite…
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