A piece of a SpaceX rocket will crash into the Moon, could create a new crater and reignites concerns about space debris.

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 02/05/2026 at 08:51

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Part of a Falcon 9 rocket is expected to hit the Moon in August, near the Einstein crater, reigniting the alert about space debris

A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to collide with the Moon on August 5, near the Einstein crater, rekindling the debate about space debris in lunar missions.

Space debris expected to hit the Moon in August

The prediction was made by astronomer Bill Gray, developer of Project Pluto software, used to track near-Earth objects.

The information was released on April 29 and indicates an impact in the region between the visible and far sides of the Moon.

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Falcon 9 carried two spacecraft to the Moon

The rocket stage was launched in early 2025. After the mission, it began orbiting the Earth-Moon system, after carrying two spacecraft towards the natural satellite.

One of them was Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, which successfully landed on the Moon. The other was ispace’s Japanese Hakuto-R, which lost contact with Earth and crashed on the lunar surface.

Impact could form a new crater

The object has been observed more than a thousand times over the last year by astronomical surveys. Based on this data, Gray calculated that the collision should occur around 2:44 AM, Eastern Time, on August 5.

The estimated impact speed is about 8,700 km/h. The flash generated by the collision should be too faint to be seen from Earth, even with powerful telescopes, which reduces the chance of direct observation.

Trajectory is considered predictable

The trajectory of this type of debris is relatively predictable, as its movement primarily depends on the gravity of Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and the planets. Still, space debris can offer a scientific opportunity.

The interest would be in later studying a newly formed crater from the impact. Experts advocate safer strategies for used stages, such as sending them into orbits around the Sun, instead of leaving them circulating between Earth and the Moon.

With information from Metrópoles.

A piece of a SpaceX rocket will crash into the Moon, could create a new crater and reignites concerns about space debris.

Part of a Falcon 9 rocket is expected to hit the Moon in August, near the Einstein crater, reigniting the alert about space debris

Space debris expected to hit the Moon in August

Falcon 9 carried two spacecraft to the Moon

Impact could form a new crater

Trajectory is considered predictable

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A piece of a SpaceX rocket will crash into the Moon, could create a new crater and reignites concerns about space debris.

Part of a Falcon 9 rocket is expected to hit the Moon in August, near the Einstein crater, reigniting the alert about space debris

Space debris expected to hit the Moon in August

Falcon 9 carried two spacecraft to the Moon

Impact could form a new crater

Trajectory is considered predictable

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