A SpaceX rocket carrying lunar landers struck the moon as anticipated this week, according to scientists. While the 5,400-mph (8,700-kph) impact went unobserved directly, a telescope in Chile detected a debris plume from the collision. Experts in space tracking said the incident was unavoidable due to the rocket’s trajectory.
This is a recent case of lunar debris. Concerns persist about worsening conditions as the U.S. and China strive to send astronauts to the moon. Previously, a Chinese rocket also collided with the moon in 2022. Others have likely crashed in past decades, unnoticed.
SpaceX’s Julianna Scheiman highlighted collaboration with NASA to prevent future incidents, noting this collision resulted from unplanned solar and gravitational forces. Carl Schmidt of Boston University confirmed his team observed signs of the crash. The European Southern Observatory’s telescope recorded sodium and lithium evidence following the impact for five to ten minutes.
“We don’t have images of the impact,” Schmidt stated, “but telescope evidence exists.”
Even before the telescope’s detection, retired astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell had predicted the crash. He viewed the upper stage rocket heading towards the moon’s sunlit western limb, near Einstein Crater. McDowell asserted his certainty that the rocket disintegrated upon impact.
Due to the difficulty of viewing the event from Earth, McDowell and others, like scientist Marco Langbroek, relied on telescopes. Langbroek acknowledged the challenge of capturing visual confirmation. McDowell noted the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter would soon confirm the crash through images.
The upper stage of the Falcon rocket launched from Cape Canaveral on January 15, 2025, with two private lunar landers. Post-launch, it drifted after deploying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost and ispace’s Resilience. While Resilience resulted in a crash, Blue Ghost successfully landed, setting a private space exploration milestone.
NASA aims to use robotic craft for establishing a sustainable lunar base. Lunar landers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are integral to the Artemis missions. Progress from Musk’s Starship continues, while Bezos’ Blue Moon is yet to launch. An astronaut lunar landing could occur as soon as 2028 after docking rehearsals in 2024.
“Things will get busier near the moon,” McDowell said. “Large impacts causing widespread dust won’t be acceptable.”
The mission reflects ongoing efforts towards lunar exploration, despite debris challenges. The space industry remains committed to responsible exploration.
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