Piece of SpaceX rocket likely hit the Moon, BBC finds

  • According to BBC reporting, a piece of a SpaceX rocket likely hit the Moon at a speed of 2.43 km/s; its trajectory was adjusted by the direction of the impact, and the likelihood of a collision was considered high.
  • It is unclear exactly how deep the impact could have gone or how far the debris would have traveled after hitting the surface.
  • The BBC said that a crater on the Moon was likely formed by the impact; however, it is not yet possible to determine the exact size of the crater.

For more details, see CT24 and Czech News.

According to the BBC, a piece of a SpaceX rocket likely crashed into the Moon during the day. The outlet said that the object’s trajectory was consistent with a speed of 2.43 kilometres per second.

The BBC said that it was not possible to determine the exact materials involved in the impact. The report also said that neither Earth nor the Moon posed any danger, and that the impact would have been limited to the lunar surface.

According to the BBC, the impact occurred at around 8:35 p.m. SEL8. Only a small portion of the rocket’s debris would have reached the Moon, and the rest would have burned up in the atmosphere; the BBC said it was not possible to confirm the exact location of the crater.

The materials were likely similar to those used in the Falcon 9 rocket. The BBC said that the mass of the fragment was estimated at about 4 tonnes, while the total mass of the rocket’s debris could have been around 4,000 kilograms.

In addition, the BBC said that the impact was likely caused by a piece of the Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage. It also said that the fragment would have survived re-entry and reached the Moon.

The BBC said that the impact was consistent with a trajectory that would have taken the debris from Earth to the Moon. It also said that the debris would have been tracked by NASA.

According to NASA, the fragment that hit the Moon was likely part of the Falcon 9 rocket used for a mission involving the Artemis programme. The BBC said that the debris could have created a crater on the far side of the Moon.