The surface of the moon with craters in space

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Dead SpaceX Rocket Set to Crash Into Moon

scienceAug 5, 2026·376 words·3 min read

An abandoned SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage will slam into the Moon on Wednesday, ending a drift of more than a year. Bill Gray, the space-tracking specialist behind the Project Pluto orbital software, predicts the 8,800-pound component will strike at roughly 5,400 miles per hour — seven times the speed of sound — near Einstein Crater on the Moon's sunlit near side. The impact should release energy equal to three tons of TNT (trinitrotoluene), excavating a crater and throwing up dust and rubble.

The rocket was never meant to go to the Moon. It launched in January 2025 carrying two small spacecraft. After that, it had no fuel to come home or fly deeper into space. Gravity slowly pulled it towards the Moon. Experts say the crash could have been avoided. It is only the second dead rocket to hit the Moon by accident. A Chinese rocket part hit it in 2022.

For scientists, the crash is a rare chance to learn. They say the hole will measure 66 to 98 feet across and 16 feet deep. That is too small to see from Earth, but spacecraft can photograph it. One study says dust will fly up 47 miles or more. The flash of light will last less than a second. NASA (the US space agency) and South Korea will photograph the place. This will help them learn if space junk is dangerous for future astronauts.

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