A segment of a rocket launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX has collided with the Moon at a speed of approximately 5,400mph, which is around seven times the speed of sound. The component, part of the Falcon 9 upper stage, was comparable in size to a five-story building and had a weight on Earth of about 4,000kg.
Experts confirm that the rocket has now impacted the Moon, with telescopes in the Americas expected to verify the crash imminently. This rocket was part of a joint US-Japanese mission initiated by SpaceX in January 2025, which involved sending two lunar landers to the Moon.
Following the impact, dust and debris are anticipated to rise several miles above the Moon’s surface, potentially visible through Earth-based telescopes. Astronomer Bill Gray commented on the event, speculating on the potential visibility of flashes and ejected rocks from the impact crater.
Observers in the eastern United States, Canada, and a significant portion of South America are likely to have the best vantage point to witness the impact flash resulting from the crash. This marks the second instance of a spacecraft colliding with the Moon, with a previous incident involving a Chinese rocket segment creating two craters on the Moon’s far side in 2022.
Notably, Benjamin Fernando from Los Alamos National Laboratory highlighted the interest in this collision to assess the risks posed by debris impacts to future lunar missions. Fernando predicts that the impact will produce a crater approximately 90 feet wide and 16 feet deep, potentially visible to spacecraft.
Although astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell downplays concerns about this specific impact, he emphasizes the potential risks of similar incidents, especially in scenarios where long-term lunar bases are established. McDowell stresses the importance of avoiding leaving rocket stages in unstable orbits like the one leading to this collision.