A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage, originally launched in January 2025 to deliver a lunar lander for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, is set to collide with the Moon on Wednesday, August 5. The object, which returned to the lunar vicinity due to gravitational forces and solar activity, is expected to impact near the Bell and Einstein craters.

While the event poses no threat to Earth, NASA plans to utilize both ground-based telescopes and space-based assets to observe the collision. The agency's Meteoroid Environments Office will attempt to capture the impact, though visibility may be limited by lighting and weather. Furthermore, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s ShadowCam instrument will attempt to document the site before and after the event to analyze the resulting crater and ejecta plume.

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Scientists anticipate the impact will create a crater approximately 60 feet wide and 12 feet deep. Researchers intend to use the data gathered from this event to refine space tracking techniques and improve models regarding lunar geology and impact behavior. Although this specific collision was unplanned, NASA noted that controlled lunar impacts are a recognized method for disposing of rocket stages at the end of their missions.

Source: NASA