An Abandoned SpaceX Rocket Crashed Into the Moon. Here’s What Happened
The rocket drifted in space for over a year before finally plummeting to the moon’s surface.
In January last year, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's and Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander. The Blue Ghost became the first commercially built lunar vehicle to land on the moon, while the Falcon 9's discarded upper stage drifted in space for 18 months before crashing into the lunar surface on August 5 at around 2:35 a.m. ET.
NASA, astronomers, and space agencies were aware of this impending impact and prepared to monitor the event by utilizing the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter. The Falcon 9's upper stage, comparable to a five-story building and weighing as much as a heavy-duty pickup truck, struck near the Einstein Crater on the moon's western side, a region difficult to observe from Earth.
The resulting crater, approximately 60 feet wide and 10 feet deep, was first spotted by South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter on August 6. NASA captured detailed images of the crash site on August 20 using its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which required precise timing and positioning to capture the event. This unexpected lunar impact has sparked conversations about space debris, particularly as NASA plans to establish a lunar base.
Some experts advocate for stricter regulations regarding space junk, but NASA maintains that the event is relatively insignificant given the moon's lack of atmosphere and constant bombardment by meteorites.
Written by urgent.news from CNET's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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