All articles tagged with #spacejunk
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.
A four-tonne second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, left in space after a January 2025 lunar mission, is on a collision course with the Moon and is expected to hit Einstein crater at about 06:35 GMT, creating an ~18-meter crater and ejecta. NASA will observe or image the impact to study artificial lunar impacts and refine techniques for tracking space debris; the event poses no danger to Earth and underscores ongoing concerns about how leftover space hardware is disposed of. SpaceX and NASA are discussing ways to prevent future lunar impacts.
Humans have dumped a surprising amount of material on the Moon—from rocket stages and rovers to sentimental keepsakes (an Apollo 16 family photo, Gene Shoemaker’s ashes, and goodwill messages from 73 nations), commemorative patches, a rumored Moon Museum ceramic wafer, a falcon feather, and even 96 bags of human waste. NASA’s 2012 list tallies about 400,000 pounds of Apollo‑era debris, with additional gear from other programs; retroreflectors remain on the surface for millimeter‑precision distance measurements. As new missions resume lunar exploration and imaging improves, lunar debris management could become a hot topic for future explorers.
SpaceX has asked for permission to launch up to one million satellites to provide global internet, but researchers warn that an already crowded orbit could become messier as climate-change–driven changes in the upper atmosphere cause space debris to linger longer; by century’s end, only about half as many satellites may safely fit in orbit, even as SpaceX accounts for roughly two-thirds of all satellites launched to date (about 15,000).
Debris from a Chinese Long March 3B rocket booster fell to Earth and exploded near a village in Guangxi Province, causing alarm among local residents. The rocket had successfully launched two satellites into orbit before the incident occurred. This event has raised concerns about space debris management and the risks posed to people and property on Earth, as China has previously been criticized for not adhering to responsible space debris standards. No casualties have been reported, but the risk of injury from falling space debris remains a concern for the global community.