SpaceX rocket to hit Moon at 5,400 MPH

A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage will crash into the Moon on 27 July 2026 at 5,400 miles per hour, astronomers tracking the object said. The impact is expected to occur on the lunar far side, out of direct view from Earth.

The rocket stage has been drifting through space since launching the DSCOVR climate observatory in February 2015. After completing its mission, it lacked the fuel to return or escape the Earth-Moon system, leaving it in a chaotic orbit that will end with a lunar collision.

This is the first known unintentional crash of a piece of human-made space debris into the Moon. The event raises concerns about the growing problem of space junk and the potential contamination of celestial bodies.

Scientists note that the crash could provide a rare opportunity to study the lunar surface composition through the resulting ejecta plume, though no mission is currently planned to observe it directly. Lunar orbiters such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter may be able to image the crash site afterward.

The Falcon 9 upper stage weighs roughly 4 metric tons and will gouge a crater estimated at up to 65 feet in diameter, according to calculations by independent astronomer Bill Gray. Gray first identified the object's trajectory and has tracked it for years under the designation WE0913A.

The DSCOVR satellite was launched on 11 February 2015 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the L1 Lagrange point a million miles from Earth. The Falcon 9 second stage was left in a high elliptical orbit, and gravitational tugs from the Earth, Moon and Sun gradually pushed it onto a collision course with the Moon.

The impact underscores the need for stronger end-of-life disposal rules for space hardware. International guidelines currently lack binding commitments for objects left in deep space trajectories.