In January 2025, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully deployed Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 and ispace’s RESILIENCE lunar landers on a trajectory to the Moon from pad 39A in Florida.
After being in space for almost a year, it was revealed yesterday that the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket has collided with the Moon. The 4000kg rocket body crashed into the Moon’s surface, and, according to scientists, the impact created a crater approximately 20 to 30 metres in diameter.
Will this collision have an impact on Earth?
According to NASA, this poses absolutely no danger to Earth or the Moon. According to researchers, this rare event provided valuable scientific data, offering new insights into the Moon’s surface and helping improve planning for future lunar exploration missions.
SpaceX, via an X post, clarified that solar activity and gravity led the second stage toward the Moon. It is said that impacts like this are rare, but they can happen with objects in these types of orbits, and the company has worked with NASA on the optimal disposal solution.
It is also revealed that this impact was not deliberately planned by NASA, but it does outline opportunities to study crater formation, dust ejection, and high-speed impact dynamics.
Stay tuned for more such updates!
