SpaceX rocket debris to hit Moon in August, NASA warns

A discarded rocket stage from a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch is on course to crash into the Moon in early March 2022, according to astronomers tracking the debris. The four-tonne booster, originally launched in February 2015 to deploy a space weather satellite, has been drifting in an uncontrolled orbit for seven years. Now, calculations show it will strike the lunar surface on March 4 at a speed of about 9,300 kilometers per hour. The impact site is expected to be on the far side of the Moon, near the equator. While the event will not be visible from Earth, it will be observed by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other spacecraft in lunar orbit. The crash is significant because it will create a new crater on the Moon, offering scientists a rare opportunity to study the lunar subsurface by analyzing the debris plume. The booster is the first known piece of space junk to unintentionally hit the Moon. SpaceX has not commented on the impending impact, and no official statement has been issued by the company or its founder Elon Musk. The incident highlights the growing problem of orbital debris and the need for better tracking and disposal of rocket stages left in space. Astronomers are calling for international regulations to prevent future uncontrolled reentries onto the Moon or other celestial bodies.