Scientists say SpaceX ‘space junk’ on collision course with Moon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nA discarded Falcon 9 rocket stage is projected to hit the moon’s surface this August, leaving a fresh crater and shining a light on the issue of junk in deep space, according to a new report. <\/p>\n
This report was written by Bill Gray of Project Pluto, a software program that tracks near-Earth objects. They estimate the impact will occur on August 5, 2026, at approximately 2:44 a.m. EDT. <\/p>\n
There is a possibility that debris will hit the western side of the Moon, especially near Einstein Crater. The object, designated 2025-010D, is a 45-foot-long upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket traveling at about 5,400 mph. <\/p>\n
Going back in history, the rocket stage was launched on January 15, 2025 carrying two private lunar missions. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 and iSpace’s Resilience. <\/p>\n
Blue Ghost successfully soft-landed on March 2, 2025, becoming the first commercial mission to succeed on its first attempt. In contrast, RESILIENCE failed in its landing attempt and crashed on June 4, 2025. <\/p>\n
The discarded upper stage has been in a chaotic, 26-day elliptical orbit around Earth for more than a year, eventually drifting into the Moon’s gravitational pull. <\/p>\n
The European Space Agency currently tracks about 35,000 objects in orbit, underscoring the increasing density of man-made clutter in the Earth-Moon system. Although the impact poses no threat to Earth, debris accumulation could become a risk as NASA’s Artemis program establishes a permanent presence on the Moon. <\/p>\n
NASA recently celebrated the successful Artemis II crew flyby in April 2026. Future missions, including the Artemis IV lunar landing, will rely heavily on hardware developed by private partners such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. <\/p>\n
Since the impact will occur on the lunar limb during the waning phase, astronomers believe the accident will likely be too faint to be observed directly with Earth-based telescopes. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n