TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX Rocket Stage Crashes Into Moon

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A discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket upper stage collided with the Moon. The uncontrolled impact involved hardware left over from a commercial lunar mission launched in January 2025. That mission carried Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander and ispace's Hakuto-R Resilience mission. The first stage of the rocket returned to Earth as planned, but the upper stage completed its primary mission and escaped Earth orbit with no remaining propellant for a disposal maneuver. Over a period of nineteen months, Earth gravity, lunar gravity, solar perturbations, and solar radiation pressure gradually altered the object's orbit until a lunar impact became unavoidable. The rocket stage weighed 8,800 pounds and measured nearly 45 feet in length. It struck the lunar surface at an estimated velocity of 5,400 miles per hour. Because the Moon lacks a substantial atmosphere, the hardware experienced no aerodynamic heating or breakup prior to impact. The kinetic energy unleashed at the moment of impact was roughly equivalent to three tons of TNT, creating a crater estimated between 20 and 30 meters wide. The impact occurred near the Moon's western limb. Multiple spacecraft, including NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri orbiter, were positioned to observe the resulting ejecta plume and analyze freshly excavated subsurface regolith.

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.

Timeline of Events

On January 15, 2025, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket.
On January 16, 2025, the payload deployed toward lunar missions.
On January 20, 2025, tracking showed the upper stage escaping orbit.
On June 10, 2025, orbital perturbations began altering the stage trajectory.
On July 16, 2026, researchers published impact timing and observational planning data.
On August 3, 2026, global media outlets detailed upcoming US viewing times.
On August 4, 2026, final calculations confirmed the exact impact location.
On August 5, 2026, the discarded rocket stage impacted the Moon.
On August 6, 2026, orbital assets evaluate the newly created crater.
On September 5, 2026, researchers publish comprehensive impact analysis and findings.

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