SpaceX Falcon 9 Upper Stage to Strike the Moon, Prompting Astronomical Observations
TL;DR
An 8,800-pound Falcon 9 upper stage from SpaceX’s January 2025 lunar mission is on a collision course with the Moon’s near side, expected to hit on Aug. 5 at about 2:34 a.m. ET at roughly 5,400 mph near the Einstein crater. The impact would likely leave a 66–98-foot crater and loft a dust plume that astronomers hope to observe with powerful instruments from Earth, though it poses no danger to our planet. The first stage of the rocket already returned for reuse, and this event adds to a history of spacecraft crashes on the Moon for study.
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