Space experts certain a SpaceX rocket crashed into the moon
A discarded SpaceX rocket segment has collided with the moon as predicted by scientists. While the impact was accidental, it highlights growing concerns regarding space debris and lunar exploration safety.
Why it matters
As lunar missions increase, managing space debris is becoming a critical challenge for international space agencies and private companies.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported.
Although no one observed the actual 5,400-mph (8,700-kph) collision, a telescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as the debris plume resulting from the crash. Space tracking experts said it was inevitable that the leftover rocket segment plowed into the moon .
It’s the latest instance of lunar litter, a problem that many fear could worsen as the U.S. and China race to put astronauts on the moon . In 2022, a Chinese rocket unintentionally hit the moon following a lunar mission, and many more stray rocket pieces likely struck the moon in decades past without scientists’ knowledge.
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