Spacex Lunar Crash Highlights Risks for Future Moon Bases

WHO:

Fast Company - The upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, operated by SpaceX.

Wired - Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.

Wired - Space tracking expert Bill Gray.

Wired - Benjamin Fernando of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

WHAT:

Fast Company - The upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket is on a collision course with the moon.

Fast Company - The impact will create a crater approximately 90 feet across and 16 feet deep.

Fast Company - The rocket stage is traveling at a speed of 5,400 mph.

Wired - The impact is expected to occur on August 5 at approximately 2:35 AM U.S. Eastern Daylight Time.

Wired - This will be the second documented case of a defunct rocket body striking the moon by accident.

WHERE:

Fast Company - The impact will occur near Einstein Crater on the sunlit western limb of the moon.

Wired - The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

WHEN:

Wired - The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on January 15, 2025.

Wired - The impact is predicted to happen on August 5 during the early morning hours.

WHY:

Fast Company - The collision is a symptom of increasing risks associated with space debris as the space race intensifies.

Fast Company - Jonathan McDowell stated that similar impacts could pose a problem for future long-term bases on the moon.

HOW:

Fast Company - The rocket stage was left in a highly elliptical orbit after deploying its payloads, which eventually led to its collision trajectory.

Wired - The impact will occur because the orbit of the moon and the object will intersect at the same time.

(UPDATED August 3, 2026 20:39 UTC)

The upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, which launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on January 15, 2025, is on a collision course with the moon and is expected to impact near Einstein Crater on August 5 at approximately 2:35 AM U.S. Eastern Daylight Time. This collision will create a crater about 90 feet across and 16 feet deep, marking the second documented case of a defunct rocket body striking the moon by accident. Experts like astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell warn that such incidents highlight the growing risks associated with space debris as the space race continues to intensify.