Welp, Nobody Saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Crash Into the Moon

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the moon, an event that was meticulously documented and anticipated by astronomers worldwide. Despite the ample warning, no direct image of the impact was captured due to the high velocity of the rocket at the time of collision, approximately 5,400 mph. Indirect evidence, however, suggests the crash did occur where predicted.

This evidence includes a stream of sodium and lithium detected by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, just minutes after the predicted time of impact. The sodium is likely from lunar surface material, while the lithium likely came from the rocket itself.

NASA, which had hoped to observe the event, has not yet released any images or findings from the crash. Other scientific institutions are also analyzing their data. The SpaceX upper stage created a crater roughly 60 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep, ejecting a cloud of dust and rock onto the lunar surface. Direct images of the impact were challenging to obtain due to lighting conditions, the location of the impact site, and the lower resolution of amateur equipment.

Amateur images and videos claiming to depict the moment of impact have already spread across social media, reflecting a common trend with space-related incidents. The Falcon 9 upper stage, after its mission in early 2025, ended up in an unstable orbit due to gravitational forces from Earth, the moon, and the sun. It eventually crashed into the moon, joining other lunar impacts, including one from a Chinese rocket in 2022.

As lunar activity continues to rise in the coming years, the importance of stringent safety protocols becomes increasingly evident.