An upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has crashed into the surface of the Moon, creating a new crater in an event that had been predicted for days by scientists and space agencies.

The impact occurred on Wednesday morning, after the object had been in lunar orbit for more than a year. According to experts, the event represents a rare opportunity to study the effects of the impact of a large man-made object on the lunar surface. Although NASA and SpaceX have not yet released official confirmation with images from the scene, the impact was confirmed by the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT). Scientists identified spectral lines of sodium and lithium in the dust cloud created after the impact, which remained visible for about five to ten minutes.


According to ESO, the sodium is thought to have come from the lunar surface, while the lithium may have been released by the rocket itself. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced that the impact occurred at 09:34 (Greek local time), while the lunar orbiter Danuri recorded images before and after the impact. The photos show visible changes in the surrounding terrain, as well as traces of materials scattered by the impact.

Korean scientists had begun monitoring the area about 30 minutes before the event, providing valuable material for comparing the lunar surface before and after the impact. The data will be analyzed together with that of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) as part of international research projects. At the time of the impact, the Falcon 9 upper stage, weighing about four tons and the size of a school bus, was moving at a speed of about 8.690 kilometers per hour. The impact occurred near the line separating the illuminated part of the Moon from the shadow, creating a cloud of dust that was illuminated for a few seconds by the Sun's rays.

According to Reuters, the phenomenon was too faint to be seen with the naked eye from Earth. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said similar impacts have occurred since the Apollo program, when used rocket stages were deliberately directed towards the Moon for scientific experiments and seismic studies. He noted that meteorites hit the Moon almost every hour, while objects the size of the Falcon 9 collide with the lunar surface on average once every six days.

For its part, SpaceX clarified that the lunar collision was not part of the original mission plan. The company said that a combination of solar activity, gravity, and orbital trajectory caused the rocket's upper stage to deviate and end up on a collision course with the moon.

SpaceX added that it is working with NASA to develop more efficient ways to remove such objects from orbit, while reiterating its commitment to more sustainable missions through the fully reusable Starship. The Falcon 9 was launched on January 15, 2025, towards the Moon, carrying two robotic ships: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost-1 and Japanese company ispace's Resilience.

After the mission ended, the rocket's upper stage was unable to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and remained in orbit until its trajectory led it to collide with the lunar surface.

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