Tag

Lunar Impact

All articles tagged with #lunar impact

space5 days ago•160 min saved

SpaceX upper stage leaves 60-foot crater on the Moon, spied by NASA's LRO

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upper stage slammed into the Moon on Aug. 5, 2026, carving a roughly 60-foot-wide crater near Einstein Crater at about 5,400 mph; NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured imagery on Aug. 11–12 showing bright and dark ejecta and a crater depth under 10 feet. The stage had been drifting for over 18 months and had previously carried two lunar lander attempts—Blue Ghost and ispace’s Resilience—before the crash.

via Space|

#einstein-crater #lro #lunar-impact

space15 days ago•12 min saved

South Korean satellite captures crater from SpaceX Moon impact

A South Korean Danuri probe captured images of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upper-stage crash on the Moon on Aug 5, 2026, following a Jan 15, 2025 launch to deploy Blue Ghost 1. The 18-meter stage hit the lunar surface at about 5,400 mph, darkening the impact site and forming a crater with ejecta that wasn’t clearly visible in the footage. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will survey the site next week to study the implications for future lunar missions.

via Notebookcheck|

#danuri #falcon9 #lunar-impact

space-exploration18 days ago•134 min saved

Danuri’s Moon photos reveal fresh crater from SpaceX debris

Images from South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter show a new blackened crater near Einstein crater after a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage slammed into the Moon at about 5,400 mph (8,700 km/h) on Aug. 5, 2026. The 4.4-ton piece likely carved a crater roughly 90 feet (27 meters) wide and up to 16 feet (5 meters) deep, with a debris plume detected by ESO’s Very Large Telescope but not visible from Earth. The stage had orbited the Earth–Moon system for about a year since a 2025 mission carrying Firefly’s Blue Ghost and ispace’s Hakuto-R; NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other observatories will study the site to understand lunar geology and assess hazards for future missions.

via Live Science|

#danuri #einstein-crater #lunar-impact

space20 days ago•5 min saved

SpaceX upper stage believed to crash into the Moon, sparking debris concerns

A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage left in a lunar trajectory after a January mission is believed to have hit the Moon near Einstein Crater at about 5,400 mph; confirmation depends on signals traveling from the Moon to Earth, and NASA says there is no danger to Earth while observers study the impact. The event highlights concerns about space debris as Artemis plans a sustained lunar presence and thousands of objects already orbit Earth.

via aljazeera.com|

#falcon-9 #lunar-impact #moon

space20 days ago•2 min saved

SpaceX Falcon 9 Debris Strikes the Moon, Creating a New Crater

A four-tonne chunk of SpaceX Falcon 9 second-stage debris crash-landed on the Moon near Einstein Crater, creating a new crater at roughly 8,700 km/h. Orbital observers and NASA’s LRO, along with South Korea’s Danuri, will document the site to study high-velocity cosmic impacts and ejecta; this marks only the second known Moon impact from discarded rocket hardware, highlighting growing concerns about space debris and orbital crowding.

via aljazeera.com|

#crater #debris #lunar-impact

space20 days ago•12 min saved

SpaceX upper-stage crash leaves fresh crater on the Moon

An out-of-control SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage believed to have slammed into the Moon, delivering about three tons of TNT energy and creating a new crater. There may have been a faint flash, but Earth observers did not clearly see it. NASA says the impact poses no danger to Earth, and scientists see a rare chance to study lunar impacts and debris risks that could affect future missions as space junk grows.

via independent.co.uk|

#lunar-impact #moon #rocket

space22 days ago•16 min saved

SpaceX rocket stage to carve a new crater on the Moon

A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage from the January 15, 2025 mission is slated to crash into the Moon on Aug 5 at about 2.43 km/s near Einstein crater, excavating a 20–30 meter crater and lofting a dust cloud 15–20 km high (potentially higher in optimistic scenarios). The impact is a kinetic event, not an explosion, releasing roughly 3 tons of TNT equivalent; telescopes and spacecraft like NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Japan’s Danuri will document the debris before and after, aiding studies of debris in cislunar space.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#crater #lunar-impact #moon

science23 days ago•378 min saved

SpaceX debris on a lunar collision course

A defunct SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage is on a trajectory to crash into the Moon next week, a rare instance of a human-made object unintentionally striking the lunar surface—the Moon's surface is already pockmarked from countless past impacts.

via NBC News|

#lunar-impact #moon #science

space26 days ago•133 min saved

Lunar Slam: SpaceX Upper Stage to Crash Into the Moon, Possibly Visible to Telescopes

A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is slated to crash into the Moon on Aug. 5 near Einstein and Bell craters, from a 2025 mission that also carried other lunar hardware. New simulations suggest the impact will eject a plume rising tens of kilometers and could briefly be visible from Earth with sensitive telescopes, though actual conditions may vary. NASA’s LRO will monitor the site around the event, enabling post-impact observations; the collision offers a rare chance to study artificial ejecta, calibrate impact models, and test localization methods for future lunar seismic experiments and debris-hazard assessments.

via Space|

#astronomy #ejecta-plume #lunar-impact

science3 months ago•6 min saved

SpaceX Upper Stage Predicted to Crash into the Moon in 2026

A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is forecast to crash into the Moon (near Einstein crater) on August 5, 2026, at about seven times the speed of sound. The impact poses no danger to Earth but highlights growing space-debris concerns as lunar exploration resumes with missions like Artemis IV and other countries planning Moon activity. The event may leave a new crater and could be imaged later by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The analysis stems from Bill Gray’s Project Pluto work; the source object remains in an Earth orbit that intersects the Moon’s path, and experts suggest safer disposal by placing spent stages on solar orbits to reduce future hits.

via ScienceAlert|

#falcon-9 #lunar-impact #moon

space-exploration3 months ago•73 min saved

Moon to Host SpaceX Debris This August

A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage (designation 2025-010D) from a 2025 launch is on a trajectory to impact the Moon this August, likely near the sunlit limb and possibly visible from Earth with a telescope. It poses no danger to people or lunar assets, but highlights the ongoing issue of disposing leftover space hardware and could influence future mission planning, according to Project Pluto observers.

via Space|

#lunar-impact #moon #project-pluto

space-and-spaceflight4 months ago•16 min saved

Moon’s Fresh Scar: 225-Meter Crater Reveals a Recent Impact

Scientists using NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter identified a fresh 225-meter crater on the Moon formed in late spring 2024, the largest crater created during the LRO mission; by comparing before-and-after images, researchers traced debris and observed dark glass-like rocks, indicating a high-energy impact and providing new insight into how recent impacts sculpt the lunar surface and crater formation across the solar system.

via Gizmodo|

#crater #glass-like-rocks #lro

science5 months ago•4 min saved

JWST-Driven update clears Moon-impact risk for asteroid 2024 YR4 in 2032

NASA, aided by James Webb Space Telescope observations, has ruled out any lunar impact risk from asteroid 2024 YR4 in 2032, lowering the earlier 4.3% chance to zero and predicting a close approach about 13,200 miles from the Moon on December 22, 2032; the ~200-foot rock was discovered in 2024 by ATLAS, and concerns about a potential lunar collision have been put to rest.

via ScienceAlert|

#2024-yr4 #astronomy #jwst

science6 months ago•2 min saved

2032 Moon Encounter Could Spark Earthbound Meteor Showers

Astronomers say the near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 4.3% chance of striking the Moon in December 2032, potentially releasing about 8 megatons of energy and producing a naked-eye flash with magnitude around -2.5 to -3; an infrared afterglow could last hours and the impact could fling up to 100 million kilograms of lunar rocks toward Earth, sparking days-long meteor showers. The finding is based on 10,000 simulations and a preprint, with follow-up observations around the 2032 flyby recommended to better constrain the timeline and likely impact location.

via Gizmodo|

#2024yr4 #astronomy #lunar-impact

space6 months ago•5 min saved

Moon Faces a 4% Chance of a 60-Meter Asteroid Hit in 2032

A ~60-meter asteroid named 2024 YR4 could strike the Moon on December 22, 2032, with about a 4% probability, potentially creating a 1-kilometer crater and a moonquake of magnitude 5.0–5.1, offering a rare scientific 'natural experiment' as observers track optical, thermal, and seismic signals—while fallout debris could reach Earth and affect satellites.

via Indian Defence Review|

#arxiv #asteroid-2024-yr4 #lunar-impact