Rogue SpaceX Rocket Stage Believed to Have Crashed into the Moon

A drifting section of a SpaceX rocket is believed to have unintentionally crashed into the Moon in a collision that, according to experts, poses no risk to Earth, according to experts, poses no risk to Earth, Alice Carnevali reported for Euronews.

The object was part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched two lunar landers on Jan. 15, 2025.

The object was part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched two lunar landers on Jan. 15, 2025.

Measuring roughly the length of a London bus and weighing about four tons, it is believed to be only the second known rocket stage to accidentally strike the Moon after a similar incident involving a Chinese rocket body in 2022.

Scientists estimate the impact occurred at about 8,700 kilometers per hour—roughly seven times the speed of sound—creating a crater approximately 27 meters wide and five meters deep on the Moon's sunlit western limb.

Astronomers were unable to immediately confirm the impact because the flash, which likely lasted less than a second, was too faint to observe directly, according to The Associated Press (AP).