SpaceX rocket stage crashes into the Moon in 2026
Consensus Summary
A defunct SpaceX rocket stage, launched in January 2025 as part of a lunar lander mission, crashed into the Moon after drifting uncontrolled for a year. The impact, occurring near the terminator line, created a plume of lunar dust visible for five to 10 minutes and spanning a few tens of kilometres. Astronomers detected sodium and lithium in the plume, suggesting lunar soil and rocket material. The crater, estimated at 20 metres (65 feet) wide and five metres deep, will be imaged by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, though data may take days to receive. The incident highlights growing concerns about space debris, with tens of thousands of pieces orbiting Earth. NASA’s Artemis program, a multi-billion-dollar initiative, aims to establish a lunar base later this decade, making such impacts a potential hazard. Past Moon crashes include a Chinese rocket in March 2022 and NASA’s intentional 1970s tests, while recent failed missions like Russia’s Luna-25 in 2023 and India’s Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 underscore the challenges of lunar exploration.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- A SpaceX rocket stage crashed into the Moon in January 2025, weighing four tonnes (4,000 kilograms).
- The impact plume was visible for five to 10 minutes and measured a few tens of kilometres in size.
- The rocket stage was part of a Falcon 9 launch in January 2025 carrying lunar landers.
- The impact occurred near the Moon’s terminator line (boundary of sunlit and dark sides).
- The rocket stage was one of tens of thousands of pieces of space junk orbiting Earth.
- NASA and South Korea’s Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter plan to image the crater, but it may take days to receive the data.
- The crater is estimated to be 20 metres (65 feet) in diameter and five metres deep.
- The impact plume contained sodium gas (from lunar soil) and lithium (possibly from the rocket).
- The rocket stage was uncontrolled and drifted for a year before impact.
- NASA’s Artemis program, a multi-billion-dollar initiative, aims to establish a lunar base later this decade.
- Past Moon impacts include a Chinese rocket stage in March 2022 and NASA’s intentional crashes in the 1970s.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The impact occurred near Einstein Crater on the Moon’s western limb, which spans 198 kilometres.
- The collision happened at 4:35pm AEST on Wednesday (local time).
- The rocket stage was described as the size of a school bus.
- Bill Gray, creator of Project Pluto software, predicted the impact in April and confirmed it by January 2025.
- SpaceX’s Julianna Scheiman stated solar activity and gravity caused the collision course.
- A Chinese rocket stage crashed into the Moon in March 2022 after a lunar test mission.
- Russia’s Luna-25 mission crashed in 2023, India’s Chandrayaan-2 lander crashed in 2019, and Israel’s Beresheet lander crashed in 2019.
- NASA intentionally crashed Saturn V rocket stages into the Moon in the 1970s to study seismic effects.
- The rocket stage was the height of a five-storey building.
- The Falcon 9 booster returned to Earth, but the upper stage remained in space to push landers onward.
- The impact occurred about 6:35am GMT on Wednesday.
- The rocket stage was part of a mission carrying two lunar landers launched in January 2025.
- Dr Sara Webb estimated the crater would be massive, with a diameter of 20 metres (65 feet) and five metres deep.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the impact occurred at 6:35am GMT, while ABC states it happened at 4:35pm AEST (local time).
- ABC specifies the rocket stage was the size of a school bus, while the Guardian describes it as the height of a five-storey building.
- ABC mentions the rocket stage was 4,000 kilograms, while the Guardian states it weighed four tonnes (both are equivalent, but ABC provides the exact weight).
- ABC notes the impact plume was detected by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory, while the Guardian does not specify the observatory’s name.
Source Articles
‘Spectral lines’ and a giant plume: what science saw when the SpaceX rocket hit the moon
Sodium and lithium gas was detected in a plume thought to span tens of kilometres, created when part of a SpaceX rocket crashed into the lunar surface A telescope in Chile has captured evidence of the impact caused by part of a SpaceX rocket slamming into the moon while travelling at 8,690km/h (5,400mph). The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope observed “spectral lines” – a colourful illustration of the sodium and lithium gas – in the plume of lunar dust stirred up by the
Defunct SpaceX rocket crashes into Moon at 8,690km/h
A stray piece of a rocket, the size of a school bus, has smashed into the Moon, likely creating a new crater.