SpaceX Rocket Debris Crashes into Moon After Year in Space
A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which had been floating in space since January 2025, is believed to have crashed into the moon on August 5, 2026. The rocket's second stage, weighing four metric tons, was on a trajectory to impact the moon's surface at high speed, traveling at 5,400 miles per hour. The impact was expected to occur at Einstein Crater on the moon's western limb. This event was unintentional, as the rocket stage had been left in space after a lunar lander mission required more thrust than usual. Astronomers had determined earlier this year that the stage was on a collision course with the moon due to a combination of solar activity and gravitational forces. 
