SpaceX rocket hours away from crashing into the moon in unintentional collision
A four-tonne piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched in early 2025, has collided with the moon. NASA and other space agencies are monitoring the impact to better understand artificial debris and lunar surface effects.
Why it matters
The event highlights the growing issue of space debris and the challenges of tracking discarded rocket stages in deep space.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on 15 January 2025. Part of the rocket is thought to have crashed into the moon on Wednesday. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on 15 January 2025. Part of the rocket is thought to have crashed into the moon on Wednesday. SpaceX SpaceX rocket thought to have crashed into the moon in unintentional collision Four-tonne piece of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket believed to have hit lunar surface on Wednesday at 5,400 miles an hour
Prefer the Guardian on Google A four-tonne piece of a discarded SpaceX rocket that has been floating in space since last year is believed to have unintentionally crashed into the moon at high speed, in a collision that poses no danger to Earth but was expected to blast out a new lunar crater.
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