Used SpaceX Falcon 9 stage hit Moon near Einstein crater
Technology
A used SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage slammed into the Moon on August 5, 2026, near Einstein Crater, hitting at a wild 8694km/h and creating a fresh crater.
This leftover from a January 2025 mission packed the punch of three tons of TNT when it struck.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spots 18-meter-wide crater
NASA and South Korea's Danuri orbiter tracked the impact closely, using it as a rare chance to study how human-made stuff affects the moon.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later spotted an 18-meter-wide crater exposing fresher lunar soil that had been shielded from the harsh space environment.
Plus, ground-based telescopes picked up sodium and lithium in the debris plume, giving researchers new clues about what happens when space junk crashes on other worlds.