A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crashed into the moon near the Einstein crater on Wednesday, confirming an unintentional impact after the booster launched from Florida in January 2025 carrying two commercial lunar landers.
The 4,000-kilogram segment struck at roughly 5,400 mph, with NASA estimating the collision carved a crater approximately 18 metres wide. Scientists anticipate an ejecta plume rising 75 to 100 kilometres above the surface, offering a rare research opportunity as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri satellite photograph the site.
NASA and SpaceX are discussing measures to prevent future lunar collisions, following the second confirmed accidental human-made moon strike since a Chinese booster fragment hit in 2022.