Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah
Summary
On August 5, a piece of an old SpaceX rocket hit the moon at high speed and created a new crater near Einstein Crater. This event highlights ongoing issues with space debris, as the rocket stage was left in orbit and eventually crashed into the moon, showing a pattern of careless disposal of space junk by the space industry.Key Facts
- A derelict Falcon 9 rocket upper stage struck the moon near Einstein Crater on August 5.
- The rocket was launched in 2025 and left in an orbit that crossed the moon’s path after delivering lunar landers.
- The collision was unintentional but could have been prevented with current technology.
- Previous rocket parts have also hit the moon but were treated as isolated events.
- Earth’s low orbit is already cluttered with tens of thousands of pieces of space debris from past launches.
- The space industry often abandons rockets in orbit instead of properly disposing of them.
- Debris left on the moon remains permanently since the moon has no atmosphere or tides to remove it.
- The problem continues partly due to a sense of entitlement rather than lack of knowledge or means to fix it.
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