A spent upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is on an unplanned collision course with the moon, with impact calculations pointing to Aug. 5 at 0635 GMT. The stage, which launched in January 2025 carrying lunar landers, will strike near the Einstein crater at roughly 2.43 kilometers per second, carving out a crater approximately 16 to 18 meters wide.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is scheduled to fly over the impact site in the days before and after the event to document the new crater and study the debris plume.
The incident coincides with a turbulent period for SpaceX. The company is targeting a new Starship launch attempt for Thursday after the 13th test flight was aborted shortly before liftoff days ago, a setback that erased roughly $100 billion in market value.