A Falcon 9 Rocket Stage Hit the Moon
Thursday, 2026/08/06108 words2 minutes337 reads
A used part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket hit the Moon on 5 August. The part is called an upper stage. It helped send two lunar landers into space in 2025.
The stage had stayed in a long orbit after the launch. Space-tracking experts say it could not have missed the Moon. It likely made a small crater and threw dust into space. Scientists are waiting for pictures of the place where it hit.
This was not a planned Moon mission. But the Moon is much safer for this object than an uncontrolled fall to Earth. Scientists also hope to learn from the dust and the impact.
