SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage collides with Moon, leaving a mysterious mark
A Falcon 9 second‑stage segment launched in January 2025 drifted off‑course for about a year before striking the Moon’s western limb near Einstein Crater at an estimated speed of roughly 8,700 km per hour. Ground‑based telescopes detected a brief plume of sodium and lithium gas lasting several minutes, confirming the impact despite no visual flash being captured. Images from the Korean Aerospace Administration’s Lunar Terrain Imager show a dark‑light smudge at the site that was absent from earlier photos. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter are scheduled to obtain higher‑resolution images in the coming days.
How this was covered
- Right-leaning outlets covered this 2h later
- Centrist coverage is the most divided on this story
Why it matters
The incident highlights the risks of defunct rocket stages unintentionally adding debris to the lunar environment and the challenges of monitoring such impacts from Earth.
How this story developed
- Jul 31 SpaceX's abandoned rocket stage set to strike the Moon at high speed
- Aug 6 Korean Aerospace Administration released Lunar Terrain Imager images showing a dark‑light smudge at the impact location.
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