School-bus-sized SpaceX rocket chunk crashes into Moon
A discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage has crashed into the Moon, an event confirmed by telescope observations of a debris plume. This incident highlights growing concerns regarding space debris as international lunar exploration missions increase.
Why it matters
As space agencies and private companies ramp up lunar activity, the accumulation of 'lunar litter' poses potential risks to future missions and scientific research.
Although no-one observed the collision, a telescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as a debris plume resulting from the crash. Space tracking experts said it was inevitable that the leftover rocket segment would plough into the moon . The school-bus-sized object is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that had launched a lunar lander from Firefly Aerospace toward the moon in January 2025. Weighing 4,000kg, the rocket piece had been due to hit the moon at around 4.35pm AEST on Wednesday, travelling at around 8,690km/h. It's the latest instance of lunar litter — rubbish left behind on the moon — that some experts believe could become a greater concern as the United States and China race to put astronauts on the moon .
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