A SpaceX Rocket Part Is Expected to Smack Into the Moon in August, Highlighting the Growing Problem of Space Junk
Bill Gray says the unplanned strike could send a dust cloud into sunlight, while NASA says it will be hard to see from Earth.
- On August 5, 2026, an upper stage of a SpaceX "Falcon 9" rocket will likely impact the Moon in an unplanned collision, according to calculations by astronomer Bill Gray.
- SpaceX launched the rocket in January 2025 to send two landers to the Moon, but the upper stage, weighing around four tonnes, has remained in space since.
- NASA manager William Cooke stated the impact will be "very, very hard to see, if not impossible" from Earth, though experts confirm the event poses no danger.
- Planned impacts on the Moon occur repeatedly for research purposes; a comparable incident four years ago involved a suspected Chinese rocket, though China rejected those reports.
- NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute held a panel discussion in early July regarding the collision, as experts debate visibility for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
38 Articles
38 Articles
A SpaceX Rocket Part Is Expected to Smack Into the Moon in August, Highlighting the Growing Problem of Space Junk
The unintended event also creates an opportunity for scientists and skywatchers to witness lunar impact dynamics in real time, although the debris will hit a sunlit portion of the moon from the perspective of Earth, making it hard to see
Berliner Morgenpost
braunschweiger-zeitung.deA part of the Falcon 9 rocket could crash into the moon in August. It is still unclear whether the spectacle will be visible from Earth.
A fragment of the upper step of a SpaceX missile could accidentally hit the Moon at the beginning of August, according to NASA's monitored calculations. Specialists estimate that the impact could occur on August 5 and point out that it poses no danger to Earth, but try to determine whether it will be observed from Earth.
Space exploration sometimes has consequences that are not immediately apparent. According to NASA scientists, a piece of a rocket could crash into the Moon in early August. In January 2025, about a year and a half ago, Elon Musk's SpaceX company launched its Falcon 9 rocket, sending two ships to the Moon. Now, American astronomer Bill Gray and the American space agency NASA, quoted by the dpa news agency, warn that an upper stage of the rocket c…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 35% of the sources lean Left, 35% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
