SpaceX rocket stage believed to have slammed into Moon, NASA to collect data

A drifting part of a SpaceX rocket is believed to have unintentionally crashed into the Moon on Wednesday morning in a collision that, according to experts, poses no risks to Earth.

This stray piece was part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable rocket, which hoisted two lunar landers and lifted off on January 15, 2025.

It is approximately the length of a London bus, weighs around 4 tonnes, and is the second dead rocket known to have accidentally crashed into the Moon after a similar incident occurred in 2022 with a Chinese rocket segment.

The collision is believed to have happened early Wednesday morning, with scientists estimating a speed of 8,700 kph (seven times the speed of sound) and anticipating a crater of nearly 27 meters across and 5 meters deep on the satellite’s sunlit western limb.

Astronomers were not able to immediately confirm the crash on Wednesday, as the impact flash, lasting less than a second, was probably too dim to see.

Images of the crash are not yet available, as none of the spacecraft orbiting the Moon was in the correct place to follow the event live.

The impact, NASA said in a press release, poses no danger to Earth and will serve as an occasion to collect lunar data and refine techniques for tracking objects in space.