Discarded SpaceX rocket on high-speed collision course with the moon
A discarded SpaceX rocket upper stage is on a collision course with the moon, with impact expected to create a crater on the lunar surface. Experts suggest the event provides a rare opportunity for scientific observation, though it highlights the growing issue of space debris.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the increasing density of objects in space and the lack of regulatory frameworks for managing orbital debris from commercial space missions.
<p>A drifting SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers more than a year ago.</p> <p>The rocket's upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon, carving out a crater and sending up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists — and skygazers — are eager to observe.</p> <p>Space tracking expert Bill Gray predicts an impact of 8700km/h — seven times the speed of sound — near Einstein Crater on the moon’s sunlit western limb.
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