Falcon 9 -A Lunar Impactor


Falcon 9 -A Lunar Impactor

Falcon 9 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience lunar landers, streaks into orbit after lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 15, 2025

A stray piece of a SpaceX rocket is thought to have crashed into the Moon this morning after hurtling through space for more than 18 months.

The section of the Falcon 9 rocket believed to have hit the Moon is its upper stage (the bit that doesn't return to Earth to land) - which is about the size of a five-storey building.


Impact

The impact is believed to have occurred at about 07:35 BST 5 August 2026, with the object travelling at about 2.43 kilometres per second - or 5,400mph (8,700 km/h).

Its collision with the Moon's surface is the result of the gentle push and pull of gravity and sunlight after SpaceX launched two US-Japanese lunar landers in January 2025.

Danger

Nasa insists the crash poses no danger Earth, while astronomers have been waiting to catch a glimpse of the crash site to study the debris that may have been caused by the collision.

Space debris possing risk 

However, some have warned we should be worried about the build-up of space debris and the ramifications these crashes could have for the future of space exploration.

Compiled by 

Ms Naresh kuwar 





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