SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacts Moon, offering scientific data on lunar composition

A four-ton upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched in January 2025 with two commercial lunar landers, is believed to have collided with the Moon’s Earth-facing side at speeds exceeding 5,000 mph. The impact occurred near the Einstein crater, where scientists expected a plume of dust up to 30 miles high, a phenomenon that can reveal the Moon’s composition.

"We have detected traces of lithium and sodium in the plume using spectrometry," said science correspondent Miles O’Brien, noting that direct imaging of the small impact site remains difficult.

The event echoes earlier intentional impacts, such as NASA’s 2009 mission that deliberately crashed a spacecraft’s upper stage to study ejecta and discovered water ice, influencing the planning of Artemis missions to the lunar south pole. Historical examples also include the Apollo 14 upper stage, which left detectable ejecta.

While the scientific community welcomes the data, O’Brien warned that growing space debris in low-Earth orbit and around the Moon poses a long-term risk. He urged agencies and commercial operators to address debris mitigation as lunar activity increases.