Written By Divya
School Bus-Sized SpaceX Rocket Stage Hits The Moon; Scientists See Rare Opportunity (Image: SpaceX)
A part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is said to have crashed into the Moon. This happened after spending more than a year drifting through space. According to reports from the BBC and Al Jazeera, the SpaceX rocket stage impacted the Moon’s surface near Einstein Crater and created a new crater too. 
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The piece of the SpaceX rocket that impacted the moon weighs about 4 tons, which is equivalent to the weight of a school bus. Though the impact was not deliberate, scientists think that this could help them learn about the moon in an uncommon way. Also Read: X receives Delhi Police notices over alleged abusive posts against PM Modi during student protests
The rocket stage was part of a Falcon 9 mission launched in early 2025. Its job was simple — push two lunar landers towards the Moon and then separate. Once the mission was complete, the upper stage was left in space. Instead of returning to Earth, it continued orbiting as the gravitational pull of the Earth, the Moon and even the Sun slowly changed its path. Months later, astronomers tracking the object realised it was heading straight for the Moon. According to the reports, it eventually struck the lunar surface at around 8,700kmph. Also Read: Elon Musk unveils X Money with banking, payments and Visa debit card
The impact itself isn’t unusual. Spacecraft have crashed into the Moon before, both intentionally and accidentally. What’s different this time is that scientists already knew almost everything about the object before it hit – its size, speed, weight and expected impact location. That makes it easier to compare predictions with what actually happened after the collision.
Researchers will now look at the crater, the dust thrown up during the impact and how the Moon’s surface reacted.
Human-made objects have been hitting the Moon for decades. Back in 2009, NASA deliberately crashed the LCROSS spacecraft into the Moon to look for signs of water ice. In 2022, another discarded rocket booster, believed to be from a Chinese mission, also struck the lunar surface and created a double crater.
While this crash doesn’t pose any risk to Earth, but it is important to discuss the amount of hardware left behind after space missions. Not every rocket stage returns to Earth after launch. Some continue travelling through space for months or even years. In this case, one of those leftover pieces eventually found its way to the Moon.
