A discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage hit the moon early on Wednesday, creating a fresh impact crater and adding to the growing amount of human-made debris scattered across the lunar surface. The 45-foot (13.8-meter) upper stage struck the moon at around 5,400 mph (8,700 km/h) after spending almost seven months drifting through space.
The SpaceX rocket crashed at 5,400 miles (8,700 kilometers) per hour, at approximately 2:35 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Although the impact occurred near Einstein Crater on the moon’s far side in daylight and was not visible from Earth — and posed no danger — it highlights growing concerns about space junk beyond Earth as lunar exploration gathers pace.
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