SpaceX Falcon 9 stage likely struck Moon near Einstein crater
Technology
A leftover SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage likely crashed into the Moon early Wednesday after drifting through space for 18 months.
Launched in January 2025, it ended up slamming near the Einstein Crater at roughly 8694km/h, definitely not your average landing.
LRO and Pathfinder to photograph site
After finishing its job, the rocket ran out of fuel and couldn't steer itself anymore. Gravity and solar forces slowly nudged it off course until it hit the Moon by accident.
Now, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and South Korea's Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter are planned to photograph the impact site after the collision to learn more about what's under the lunar surface and how to deal with space junk better in future missions.