The Korean AeroSpace Administration (KASA) has published photographic evidence of the Moon's surface following an impact by a piece of SpaceX rocket debris. The collision, which occurred on Wednesday at approximately 06:35 GMT, was documented by South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter, which provided both pre- and post-impact imagery.
The debris originated from the empty upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, a component measuring roughly the size of a five-storey building and weighing approximately 4,000kg. Scientists had projected the object would strike the lunar surface at a velocity of 8,700km/h. SpaceX has stated that the crash was unintentional. The rocket stage had been drifting in a complex orbit since January 2024, when it was utilized to launch two lunar landers from Florida. Over the subsequent 18 months, gravitational forces and solar radiation gradually altered its trajectory, eventually placing it on a collision course with the Moon.
While the event posed no threat to Earth, the incident has prompted renewed discussion regarding the management of orbital debris. Matt Bothwell, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, noted that the increasing density of objects in space could eventually complicate future launches. "Space is getting more and more crowded," Bothwell stated, warning that within a few decades, navigating past Earth's orbit may become significantly more difficult.
Source: BBC News
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