BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket upper stage is expected to crash into the moon at approximately 2:34 a.m., creating a new impact crater on the lunar surface.
The rocket stage launched from Florida’s Space Coast more than a year ago while carrying a pair of lunar landers. Since then, it has been traveling in a looping orbit between Earth and the moon. After months in space, its trajectory has now aligned for a collision with the moon near Einstein crater on the moon’s northwestern limb.
Dr. Ken Kremer, a space expert with Space UpClose, said the impact is the result of orbital mechanics.
“The upper stage was sent on a long looping orbit between the Earth and the Moon, and now the orbits have precisely aligned, causing it to hit near Einstein crater on the northwestern limb,” Kremer said.
The rocket stage is traveling at roughly 5,400 mph and is expected to leave a crater estimated to be between 60 and 100 feet wide.
“It is going to leave a crater. They’re estimating 60 to 100 feet. It’s hard to say exactly because this thing is hollow. It’s not like a meteorite,” Kremer said.
Unlike Earth, the moon lacks an atmosphere that would cause incoming objects to burn up before impact. As a result, debris strikes the lunar surface directly, a factor scientists and future mission planners must consider as lunar exploration continues.
“There is no atmosphere for objects to burn up in, unlike Earth where most incoming debris burns up from frictional heating. That’s not the case on the moon,” Kremer said.
Researchers are expected to study the impact site in the coming weeks. Images of the newly formed crater could be captured by lunar satellites orbiting the moon after the collision.
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