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Piece of SpaceX rocket believed to have crashed into the moon
NASA says the 4-metric-ton stage could leave a 60-foot crater and a dust plume, offering scientists a rare chance to study lunar impacts.
- On Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage struck the Moon's western limb near Einstein Crater at about 5,400 mph, likely creating a 60-foot-wide crater and ejecting lunar dust and rock.
- SpaceX director of NASA science Julianna Scheiman explained that solar activity and gravity forces pushed the uncontrolled rocket stage toward the Moon after its January 2025 launch required extra thrust.
- Astronomy software creator Bill Gray noted the impact highlights "a certain carelessness about how leftover space hardware is disposed of," though the collision poses no threat to Earth.
- NASA plans to collect data from the impact to study lunar geology and debris behavior, utilizing observations similar to intentional crashes conducted in the 1970s and 2009 to improve future exploration models.
- To protect the Artemis program's planned lunar base, NASA and SpaceX are discussing ways to prevent future lunar impacts as routine astronaut missions begin later this decade.
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Total News Sources175
Leaning Left30Leaning Right29Center75Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 22%
C 56%
R 22%
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