NewsWorld newsSpaceXThe 40ft long Falcon 9 upper stage was left in a 'chaotic' lunar orbit by Elon Musk's SpaceX company following a 2005 US-Japanese mission launched by SpaceX - and has now crashed into the Moon08:03, 05 Aug 2026Updated 08:04, 05 Aug 2026Part of a rocket launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX has smashed into the Moon at around 5,400mph - about seven times the speed of sound.‌The piece of the Falcon 9 upper stage was about the size of a five-storey building and had an Earth weight of around 4,000kg.‌Scientists say the rocket will now have crashed into the Moon. The crash will be confirmed by telescopes in the Americas monitoring the event soon.‌The now-abandoned spacecraft formed part of a US-Japanese mission launched by SpaceX in January 2025 which took two lunar landers to the Moon.The dust and debris from the impact is expected to rise several miles above the Moon's surface and should be visible through telescopes from Earth.‌Astronomer Bill Gray said of the collision: "Maybe we'll see the flash. Maybe we'll see rocks ejected from the crater. Maybe we'll even see both."Observers in the eastern US and Canada, along with much of South America, are expected to have the best chance of spotting the impact flash of the crash itself.This will be the second space ship to crash into the Moon - in 2022 a Chinese rocket segment dug out two craters on the Moon's far side.‌Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Benjamin Fernando told reporters: “Part of the reason for our interest in this event is to figure out how much of a hazard debris impacts pose to future astronauts."Fernando expects the impact to create a crater about 90ft across and 16ft deep - too small to be seen from Earth but visible to spacecraft.Article continues belowRetired astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said "this impact will not be a problem", but warned that similar impacts "would be an issue", particularly "in a future where there are long-term bases on the Moon"."We need not to leave rocket stages in chaotic orbits of this kind," he added.This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Elon MuskThe MoonSpaceXBreaking News