Falcon 9 Rocket to Impact Moon and Create New Crater

A four-ton Falcon 9 rocket stage, designated 2025-010D, is projected to strike the Moon today at a velocity of 2.43 km/s. According to mission data, the impact is expected to create a crater between 20 and 30 meters in diameter. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has already imaged the impact site to facilitate post-collision analysis.

Impact Dynamics and Lunar Surface Effects

The rocket fragment, measuring approximately 13.8 meters in length and 3.7 meters in diameter, carries significant kinetic energy due to its high speed. Because the Moon lacks an atmosphere to provide drag or deceleration, the object will strike the surface at full velocity. Experts estimate the resulting crater will reach several meters in depth, with lunar regolith likely ejected across a 70-meter radius around the impact point.

Mission Context: SpaceX and Private Lunar Landers

The 2025-010D booster was launched by SpaceX in January 2025. The primary objective of that mission was to deliver two private lunar landers to the Moon: the Blue Ghost, developed by Firefly Aerospace, and the Hakuto-R Resilience, built by the Japanese firm ispace. While the first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth, the second stage remained in space, eventually falling under the gravitational influence of the Earth-Moon system, which dictated its current trajectory toward the lunar surface.

Verification via NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter serves as the primary tool for monitoring the event. The spacecraft has conducted preliminary imaging of the impact region. Future passes by the LRO are scheduled to capture high-resolution imagery, which will allow researchers to confirm the crater’s dimensions and study the material displaced by the collision.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Will the impact be visible from Earth? No. The collision is occurring on the side of the Moon facing the Earth, but at a location and scale that makes it invisible to observers on our planet.
• How large will the crater be? Estimates suggest a diameter of 20 to 30 meters and a depth of several meters.
• Why did the rocket part hit the Moon? After the mission was completed, the spent stage was left in an orbit that eventually brought it into contact with the Moon due to gravitational interactions.