Stray SpaceX rocket stage hit moon near Einstein crater
What's new: Scientists expect the impact plume and fresh crater to offer rare data on lunar soil, though images may take days or weeks.
A spent upper stage from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is believed to have slammed into the moon near the Einstein crater at about 5,400 mph, creating a new crater and a dust plume that researchers hope will reveal more about the lunar surface. The roughly four-ton stage launched from Florida in January 2025 carrying two commercial lunar landers, then drifted in deep space until the pull of the Earth, moon and sun nudged it onto an impact path. Scientists said the flash would have been brief and hard to capture because the strike happened on a sunlit part of the moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to photograph the site for before-and-after comparisons, while South Korea's Danuri orbiter may also have relevant data under review.