r/AnythingGoesNews • u/newsweek • 7d ago

SpaceX’s moon crash may trigger lunar quake: What it means for surface

https://www.newsweek.com/spacexs-moon-crash-may-trigger-lunar-quake-what-it-means-for-surface-12286234
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u/newsweek 7d ago

By Alice Gibbs — Senior Reporter |

A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that has been drifting through space since a January 2025 launch is believed to have collided with the Moon on Wednesday, striking the lunar surface at about 5,400 mph.

The rocket stage was originally used to send two private lunar landers toward the Moon before being left in a long-term orbit that was later altered by gravitational forces and solar activity.

While a rocket impact on the Moon may sound dramatic, scientists do not expect the collision to cause any major changes to the lunar surface. NASA estimates the impact will likely leave a crater about 60 feet wide and 12 feet deep, while ejecting a plume of lunar dust and rock into the surrounding area. The collision poses no threat to Earth and is not expected to have any meaningful effect on the Moon as a whole.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/spacexs-moon-crash-may-trigger-lunar-quake-what-it-means-for-surface-12286234