Defunct part of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will slam into the moon
A defunct piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is projected to impact the moon's surface at high speed. NASA and independent researchers are monitoring the event to study the resulting crater and potential surface changes.
Why it matters
The event highlights the growing issue of space debris and provides a rare opportunity for scientists to study lunar impact dynamics.
A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to slam into the moon on Wednesday, according to scientists.
The piece is expected to hit the moon around 2:35 a.m. ET at more than 5,000 miles per hour, according to analysis by Bill Gray, who develops software that tracks objects in space. It is part of the rocket's upper portion and about the size of a five-story building.
It was part of the Falcon 9 rocket that carried two lunar landers and scientific instruments to the moon in January 2025.
Short Wave Want to spend a year living in NASA's Mars simulation? The piece is expected to hit a sunlit side of the moon facing Earth, which will be partially illuminated, in the northwestern portion near the Einstein Crater, according to Gray. The impact could leave a crater at least 17 meters in diameter, he said.
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