Part of SpaceX rocket slams into the Moon
Scientists say the unintended impact posed no danger to Earth but left a fresh crater that NASA now hopes to photograph.
NEW YORK – A bus-sized piece of a SpaceX rocket has slammed into the Moon, according to scientists.
The unintended collision posed no danger to Earth and left a crater on the lunar surface, with space agencies including NASA hoping to document it.
Earlier, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket had been expected to strike the Moon's surface at about 2.35pm yesterday, Malaysian time.
NASA and its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, along with South Korea's Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, plan to capture images of the crater that was formed. However, it may take days before that information is received.
The Falcon 9 rocket, from Elon Musk's SpaceX, was launched in January 2025 carrying two lunar exploration spacecraft.
Its booster returned to Earth, but the upper stage remained with the spacecraft to push it towards the Moon. – AFP
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