A SpaceX rocket launches from Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in January 2025. ReutersShow caption: A SpaceX rocket launches from Kennedy Space Centre in Cape C…Discarded space junk was second stage of Falcon 9 rocket launched in early 2025The NationalAugust 05, 2026
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage, the size of a school bus, is believed to have crashed into the Moon on Wednesday at 8,690kph.
The four-tonne rocket piece was originally launched in January 2025, carrying a Firefly Aerospace lunar lander before becoming uncontrollable space debris.
Solar activity and gravitational forces pushed the abandoned stage onto a collision course with the Moon, striking Einstein Crater on its western limb.
The unintentional impact highlights growing concerns about space debris management as Nasa plans to build a lunar base under its Artemis programme.
