A SpaceX rocket fragment striking the moon at 8,690km/h created a massive plume, with telescopes detecting sodium and lithium gas spanning tens of kilometers.
Data from crash will help NASA's future lunar missions
Aug 06, 2026
02:51 pm
What's the storyThe European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile recorded evidence of a SpaceX rocket fragment crashing into the moon at 8,690 km/h.
Observing the impact, the telescope captured distinct spectral lines: the "chemical fingerprints" of sodium and lithium gas in the resulting dust plume.
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