National · 13 updates
Space tracking expert Bill Gray estimates the rocket will hit the Moon at around 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) near Einstein Crater on the Moon's sunlit western edge. The impact is expected to occur during the early hours of Wednesday, with the best viewing conditions likely across eastern parts of the United States and Canada, as well as much of South America.
The impact is also expected to create a crater.
The rocket stage is currently expected to hit near Einstein crater on the moon on August 5 at 12:05 pm IST
The rocket piece is expected to hit Einstein Crater on the moon's western limb.
WASHINGTON - A SpaceX rocket piece floating in space since last year is on track to smash into the moon at high speed early Wednesday morning.The school-bus-size object is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that had launched a lunar lander from Firefly Aerospace toward the moon in January 2025.Weighing four metric tons (4,000 kg), the rocket body is due to hit the moon around 2:35 a.m. ET (0635 GMT), hitting its surface at 5,400 miles per hour (8,690 kph). The space junk will kick up a plume of lunar dust that will likely be illuminated by sunlight but difficult to spot with th
The Falcon 9 rocket made by Elon Musk's SpaceX firm took off in January 2025
While there is not yet official confirmation that the Falcon 9 upper stage struck the lunar surface, it had been expected to make impact at approximately 0635 GMT
A hefty four-tonne piece from a SpaceX rocket has made its way to the moon, crashing after an eighteen-month journey in the cosmos. This second stage of the rocket hit the western limb at Einstein crater with considerable force. Currently, lunar satellites are on standby to document the impact and examine the debris. Meanwhile, conversations are underway between NASA and SpaceX to address the risk of future impacts.