A four-tonne piece of a SpaceX rocket is expected to crash into the Moon on Wednesday at a speed of about 5,400 mph (8,690 km/h). Scientists say the collision poses no danger to Earth, but it will offer a rare chance to study lunar science and space debris.
The drifting object is the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket. It was launched in January 2025 to send a commercial lunar lander toward the Moon. Unlike most rocket stages, which fall back into Earth's atmosphere and burn up, this piece was pushed farther into space. Over time, a mix of gravity and solar activity put the school-bus-sized booster on an accidental collision course with the Moon.
Astronomers predict the rocket piece will hit the Moon's surface on August 5 at approximately 06:35 GMT. The impact is expected to occur at Einstein crater on the western side of the Moon.
The collision will create a new crater about 60 feet (18 meters) wide and 12 feet (4 meters) deep. Because the Moon has no atmosphere to slow objects down, the impact is expected to throw up a massive plume of dust and rock into space.
Although the event will probably not be visible to the naked eye from Earth, scientists and amateur astronomers are gearing up to watch closely. Telescopes on Earth and space probes—including NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri spacecraft—will track the impact flash and the dust cloud. By studying how the dust spreads and where subsurface rock is exposed, researchers hope to better understand lunar material and improve computer models of space impacts.
While scientists are excited about the scientific opportunity, experts warn that the event highlights the growing problem of space clutter. According to the European Space Agency, there are around 54,000 pieces of space junk larger than 10 centimeters currently orbiting in space. Scientists hope this accidental crash will encourage space agencies and private companies to find better ways to dispose of leftover space hardware in future space missions.