SpaceX crashes rocket into the moon ‘unintentionally’ after launch

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is said to have crashed on the moon a year after launch

A piece of the rocket detached from the SpaceX structure, as planned. It is said to have been floating in space ever since launching in January 2025.

The four-tonne piece from Falcon 9 is said to have collided with the moon and was captured at speeds of 8,690 kilometres (5,400 miles) per hour.

Although the piece is approximately the size of a building, the collision does not pose any direct danger to Earth.

However NASA has said that the blast carved an 18 metres (60 feet) wide and 4 metres (12 feet) deep crater into the moon.

“The impact poses no danger to Earth and NASA scientists are planning to collect lunar data from the event and refine techniques for tracking objects in space,” said NASA’s spokesperson, Jimi Russell, on Tuesday.

These rocket parts are known as ‘stages’, they detach from the rocket one by one as the module goes deeper into the sky and into space. 

The stages are meant to fall back onto earth, typically in oceans or vast plains and deserts where they cause minimum impact to life. 

Because Falcon 9’s launch mission necessitated more thrust power, the stage in question detached later than usual launch missions.

The four-tonne stage had been floating aimlessly above Earth in a sea of space debris, an ongoing issue for active satellites that have to steer clear of. 

Falcon 9’s stage was not discovered until earlier this year by astronomers. It unfortunately could not be controlled either due to all of its fuel being dumped prior to the discovery.

Julianna Scheiman, SpaceX’s ‌director of NASA science, told reporters on Monday: “What has happened is essentially a mixture of solar activity and gravity forces that have put it on a path toward the moon.”

Space debris impacts on the moon are rare, however they have become more common over the years. 

China in 2022, Russia in 2023 and India in 2019 are notable events of moon collisions with space debris. 

However, the Falcon 9’s latest impact has been the cause of open discussions amongst NASA and SpaceX to prevent future collisions, according to Scheiman.