SpaceX's abandoned rocket stage set to strike the Moon at high speed

A discarded upper stage from a SpaceX mission that launched two private lunar landers last year is slated to collide with the Moon’s sunlit western limb on Wednesday, striking near Einstein Crater at roughly 5,400 mph. The 12-meter, 4,500-kilogram piece will form a crater about 27 meters wide and eject material that could be visible for tens of minutes. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s Danuri orbiter will capture before-and-after images, with Danuri passing within a few kilometers of the impact site shortly before the crash.

Experts view the incident as a chance to study debris hazards for future lunar bases, noting that similar uncontrolled impacts could become problematic as more nations and companies target the Moon. While the flash will likely be too faint for casual observers, the dust plume may be seen by both professionals and amateurs in North America and South America. The event follows a previous accidental lunar impact by a Chinese rocket fragment in 2022 and highlights the need for better orbital debris management.