AI Generated Image
SpaceX rocket booster is on a 5,400-mph collision course with the moon, expected to leave crater 16 feet deep
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- An 8,800-pound SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster is expected to crash into the moon early Wednesday at 5,400 mph, marking a rare man-made lunar collision.
- The booster, which launched two lunar landers in January 2025, has been orbiting the moon since then but was pushed onto a collision course by solar activity and gravity forces.
- The impact, equivalent to 2.8 tons of TNT, will create a crater approximately 65 to 100 feet wide and 16 feet deep, though the flash from the collision is unlikely to be visible even with large telescopes.
- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will capture before-and-after images of the impact site, but these photos may take one to two weeks to be available for analysis.
- Scientists hope the collision will loft lunar dust and vapor, potentially revealing hidden water ice beneath the surface, aiding future lunar exploration and base-building efforts.
