Abandoned SpaceX Rocket Set to Crash Into Moon Wednesday
Researchers expect the impact to carve a crater about 27 meters wide and help test how lunar dust and debris behave.
- 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.
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192 Articles
Why Is a SpaceX Rocket Crashing Into the Moon and What Will It Leave Behind? | 🔬 LatestLY
A discarded SpaceX rocket stage is set to crash into the Moon this week, creating a fresh crater and sending a cloud of dust into space in a rare event that scientists hope will offer valuable clues about future lunar missions and the growing problem of space debris. 🔬 Why Is a SpaceX Rocket Crashing Into the Moon and What Will It Leave Behind?.
A burnt-out rocket stage of the US company SpaceX is soon falling on the moon - and astronomers are eagerly expecting this. The stage is expected to crash onto the moon's surface at seven times the speed of sound on Wednesday. Scientists expect new insights from the cloud of dust and debris.
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.
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