SpaceX Rocket Set To Crash Into Moon Wednesday
A discarded Falcon 9 upper stage will strike the Moon Wednesday at roughly 2:35 a.m. ET, hitting near Einstein Crater at 5,400 mph. NASA confirmed the trajectory and says the event poses no danger to Earth.
- 8,818 pounds of rocket will hit the Moon at an estimated 5,436 mph.
- Impact is expected to carve a crater 90 feet wide and 16 feet deep.
- 19 months of gravitational drift by Earth, Moon, and Sun sent the stage off course.
- Energy released is equivalent to 15,000 sticks of dynamite, astronomer Bill Gray estimates.
Why it matters: The crash is only the second time a spent rocket has hit the Moon accidentally, following a Chinese Long March 3C booster in 2022. Scientists plan to study the plume and crater to better understand lunar surface behavior and debris risks to future astronauts.
- Los Alamos National Laboratory researcher Benjamin Fernando says the event tests methods for locating impacts seismically and assessing hazards to lunar infrastructure.
- 54,000 objects larger than 10 cm now float in space, per the European Space Agency.
How 16 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage agrees on the basic facts; the main divide is how much emphasis to place on space-debris risk versus the scientific opportunity the impact creates.
Center coverage, 7 sources: The center presents the event as a balance of scientific opportunity and a practical caution about the growing volume of human-made objects in space.
BBC News13hWhat will happen when a SpaceX rocket collides with the Moon?IBTIBTimes1dDiscarded SpaceX Rocket Expected To Crash Into The Moon. You Might Be Able To See The AftermathCNCTV News2hA SpaceX rocket will collide with the moon this week. Here’s what you need to know
Reuters2hFragmento de un cohete de SpaceX se estrellará contra la Luna el miércoles
Sky News9hSpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon - here's what we know will happen
The Hill5hSpace X rocket on course to crash into the moon
USA Today34mThere's a SpaceX rocket about to collide into the moon at 5,400 mphLeft coverage, 5 sources: The left frames the crash primarily as a warning about accelerating space debris and the risks it poses to future exploration and the orbital environment.
The Independent13hA SpaceX rocket is about to smash into the Moon – this is how you can watch
CNN8hA SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon
CBS News7hSpaceX rocket booster is on a 5,400-mph collision course with the moonTBGThe Boston Globe1hSpaceX rocket will crash on the moon
Time12hA SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon. Here's Everything You Need to KnowRight coverage, 4 sources: The right centers SpaceX's role and NASA's institutional response, framing the impact as a navigable engineering reality and a data-gathering moment.
The Daily Wire22hA SpaceX Rocket Is About To Crash Into The Moon
Citizen Free Press5hSpaceX rocket crash to create 90 foot crater in surface of Moon.
Newsmax2hPiece of SpaceX Rocket Will Crash Into the Moon Wednesday
Washington Examiner3hSpaceX rocket hurtling toward moon expected to create 90-foot craterWhat’s next: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will image the impact site before and after the strike.
- Ground-based telescopes across the Americas will attempt to capture the dust plume.
- A preprint study on the impact is awaiting review at The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
- Will the dust plume rise high enough to be captured by ground-based telescopes?
- What subsurface material will the crater expose, and what will it reveal about lunar composition?
- How will NASA and other agencies use this event to shape debris-management rules for future lunar missions?