SpaceX rocket upper stage crashes into Moon

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage crashed into the Moon on August 5, after drifting in space for more than a year. The rocket had launched lunar landers and was then left in orbit. With no atmosphere to slow it down, it eventually fell toward the lunar surface.

The object hit at around 2.43 kilometres per second and released energy equal to three tons of TNT. The crash created a crater and threw material several miles into space. A cloud of dust stayed visible through telescopes for tens of minutes after impact.

This was the second known unplanned rocket crash on the Moon. A Chinese rocket hit the far side in 2022 and left two craters. Scientists are studying the data because it could help protect future crewed missions to the Moon.