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Welp, Nobody Saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Crash Into the Moon
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- DeepHorus
The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the moon on Wednesday, marking a rare and dramatic end to a years-long journey. But despite ample warning and a coordinated effort by astronomers worldwide, no one appears to have captured direct images or video of the collision. The impact, which occurred at a predicted time and location on the lunar surface, was expected to produce a visible flash that observatories had prepared to document for the first time.
The Falcon 9 upper stage was launched in early 2025 to deploy a weather satellite, and after completing its mission, it was left in a highly unstable orbit. Over the following year, the combined gravitational forces of Earth, the moon, and the sun gradually altered its trajectory, ultimately sending it on a collision course with the moon. This was not a controlled impact, but rather the result of orbital decay, making it a unique event for scientists studying lunar impacts.
The rocket struck the moon at approximately 5,400 miles per hour, and while direct imagery was elusive, indirect evidence has emerged. According to the Associated Press, astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile detected a stream of sodium and lithium in the lunar exosphere just minutes after the predicted impact time. Researchers believe the sodium was ejected from the lunar surface by the force of the crash, while the lithium likely came from the rocket itself, providing strong confirmation that the collision occurred as suspected.
NASA had announced in advance that it would attempt to observe the impact, but has not yet released any images or results. Other scientific institutions are still analyzing their data, and the space agency estimates that the Falcon 9 upper stage carved out a crater roughly 60 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep, while kicking up a cloud of dust and rock onto the moon’s surface. The first direct pictures of the new crater may arrive in the coming days, as NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a South Korean lunar orbiter are set to pass over the region.
For professional astronomers, capturing the moment of impact was a challenging feat due to poor lighting conditions and the remote location of the crash site. Amateur observers with cell phones or small telescopes had virtually no chance, yet hoax images and videos claiming to show the impact are already circulating on social media, as expected. Scientists, however, remain confident that the indirect observations provide sufficient evidence of a successful impact, even without a dramatic visual record.
This event highlights a growing concern for lunar safety. The moon was previously struck by a Chinese rocket in 2022, and with numerous missions planned to the lunar surface in the coming years, the need for robust tracking and disposal protocols for space debris is becoming more urgent. While this crash was unintentional, future lunar operations will require stricter measures to prevent accidental collisions with inhabited or scientifically valuable areas, ensuring that the next generation of lunar exploration proceeds without such uncontrolled impacts.
