A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon

A SpaceX rocket, after launching two lunar landers earlier this year, is now on a high-speed collision course with the moon. The rocket's upper stage is set to crash into the lunar surface on Wednesday, creating a crater and generating a trail of dust and debris. Scientists are excited to observe the event, which will occur in the wee hours of the morning, with optimal viewing from the eastern parts of the U.S., Canada, and much of South America.

According to space tracking expert Bill Gray, the impact will happen at a speed of 5,400 mph (8,700 kph), surpassing the speed of sound sevenfold. The crash is expected to occur near Einstein Crater on the moon's sunlit western limb. The abandoned rocket segment, approximately 40 feet long and weighing around 10,000 pounds, carried two lunar landers — one successful and one unsuccessful — on January 15, 2025.

One of them, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost, made history as the first private spacecraft to achieve a successful lunar landing.

While the scientists are not overly concerned about this particular piece of space debris, it serves as a reminder of the increasing space junk accumulation in orbit. Space experts suggest that the crash could have been avoided if the upper stage had been redirected into a solar orbit. This particular impact will be the second accidental crash into the moon, the first being a Chinese rocket segment that created two craters in the lunar far side in 2022.

The impact will be brief, lasting less than a second, and will likely be too faint to see with the naked eye. However, the ejected material could stretch several miles into space and remain visible to telescopes for tens of minutes. The low gravity on the moon, coupled with the absence of wind, will prevent the dust from settling, making the debris a lingering concern. Researchers are eager to study the aftermath to better understand the potential hazards that debris impacts pose to future lunar explorers.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter will capture before-and-after images of the crash site. Danuri will approach the SpaceX rocket just two minutes before impact, providing valuable data for comparison. The 40-foot abandoned rocket segment, carrying a payload of around 10,000 pounds, was responsible for launching the private lunar landers, one of which, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost, successfully touched down on the moon.

Historically, NASA has intentionally collided rocket sections and lunar modules with the moon for scientific purposes, such as studying seismic activity. In 2009, NASA deliberately crashed its LCROSS spacecraft and upper stage in an attempt to detect ice near the lunar south pole. As more nations race to establish long-term bases on the moon in the coming years, the importance of monitoring and managing space debris becomes increasingly crucial to ensure the safety of future lunar missions.