NEW YORK (Dunya News) – The approximately 4-ton second stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is expected to collide with the Moon today after remaining in space following the launch of Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander in January 2025.
According to experts, the rocket stage will strike the Moon's Einstein Crater at a speed of around 8,690 kilometres per hour. The impact is expected to create large clouds of lunar dust, but the event will not be visible from Earth with the naked eye.
SpaceX said the collision is unintentional. The company explained that the lunar mission required additional power, so the rocket's second stage remained in space instead of returning to Earth. Its orbit later shifted toward the Moon due to solar activity and gravitational forces.
Experts said the collision poses no risk to humans or Earth. However, it could provide valuable scientific data and highlight the need for the safe disposal of space debris left in orbit.
A Chinese rocket also unintentionally crashed into the Moon in 2022. Meanwhile, NASA deliberately crashed rocket stages into the Moon during scientific missions in 2009 and in the 1970s to support lunar research.