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(KTLA) – A discarded SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon late Tuesday night after drifting through space for more than a year, leaving behind what scientists believe is a fresh impact crater and a plume of debris.
The “school bus” sized Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage struck the lunar surface around 2:35 p.m. EDT at about 5,400 mph — which is about 7 times the speed of sound, according to multiple reports. While no one directly witnessed the collision, scientists said there is little doubt the rocket reached the moon as predicted.
The rocket’s upper stage launched from Florida on Jan. 15, 2025, carrying two spacecraft bound for the moon, according to The Associated Press. After releasing them, the rocket stage remained in space.
Unlike most Falcon 9 upper stages, which burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after completing their missions, this one was traveling too fast on a lunar trajectory to safely return.
In response, SpaceX performed a maneuver intended to leave it in a safe orbit.
However, according to Space.com, a combination of the moon’s gravity and solar activity gradually altered its path, sending the roughly 9,000-pound rocket stage onto an unavoidable collision course with the lunar surface.
Scientists estimate the impact carved out a crater roughly 60 to 90 feet wide near Einstein Crater, close to the boundary between the moon’s near and far sides.
Although the impact flash was expected to be too faint to see from Earth, telescopes in Chile and Arizona detected what astronomers believe was a cloud of sodium- and lithium-rich material rising from the impact site, according to multiple media reports.
Boston University scientist Carl Schmidt told the AP his team is “100% certain” the observations captured evidence of the crash, while retired astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said there was “no doubt” the rocket was reduced to “teeny, little pieces” scattered across the moon.
NASA has not yet released images confirming the impact site, but the agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and ShadowCam instrument aboard South Korea’s Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter are expected to search for before-and-after images in the coming days, Space.com reported.
Researchers say the collision presents a rare scientific opportunity to study how artificial objects strike the moon and how debris behaves in the lunar environment. The findings could help scientists better understand potential hazards for future robotic missions and astronauts as lunar exploration accelerates.
The incident also highlights growing concerns about space debris beyond Earth’s orbit. It marks the second known accidental rocket impact on the moon after a Chinese rocket stage struck the lunar far side in 2022.
While experts stressed this impact posed no immediate danger, they say improving space traffic management will become increasingly important as NASA, China and commercial companies prepare for more frequent missions to the moon in the years ahead.
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