A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon
Summary
A discarded SpaceX rocket stage is set to crash into the moon at high speed after launching two lunar landers over a year ago. Scientists plan to observe the impact, which will create a crater and send dust into the moon’s thin atmosphere, helping them study potential dangers for future moon missions.Key Facts
- The rocket’s upper stage will hit the moon at about 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) near Einstein Crater.
- The impact is expected on a Wednesday, visible mainly from the eastern U.S., Canada, and much of South America.
- The crash will create a crater about 90 feet (27 meters) wide and 16 feet (5 meters) deep.
- The collision was unintentional; the rocket was not pushed into a safer orbit around the sun.
- This will be the second known accidental crash of a dead rocket on the moon; a Chinese rocket crashed in 2022.
- NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s Danuri orbiter will take before-and-after photos of the crash.
- The abandoned rocket segment is about 40 feet (12 meters) long and weighs around 10,000 pounds (4,500 kilograms).
- One of the lunar landers launched by this rocket, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, successfully landed, while the other, ispace’s lander from Japan, did not.
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