Moon Gets a Quiet Visitor: SpaceX Falcon 9 Upper Stage Impacts Lunar Surface
TL;DR Summary
The Falcon 9 upper stage slammed into the Moon at about 5,400 mph, carving a roughly 60‑foot diameter and 12‑foot‑deep crater and kicking up dust and rock, but no direct images of the impact were captured. The strongest evidence comes from observations by Chile’s Very Large Telescope detecting a post‑impact plume of sodium and lithium, likely from lunar material and rocket debris. NASA and other orbiters are expected to provide first images in the coming days, with the event highlighting ongoing lunar monitoring and safety considerations after a 2022 Chinese rocket strike and amid increasing lunar activity.
- Welp, Nobody Saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Crash Into the Moon WIRED
- New crater likely to form after SpaceX rocket slams into the moon CNN
- Defunct SpaceX rocket crashes into Moon at 8,690km/h ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- NASA Will Attempt to Observe Rocket Part’s Lunar Impact NASA (.gov)
- Scientists warn about space debris after huge SpaceX rocket part thought to have hit Moon BBC
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