NASA and ESO Confirm Falcon 9 Upper Stage Crash on Moon Surface

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have confirmed that the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has collided with the surface of the Moon in an uncontrolled manner. NASA researcher Kelsey Young reported on the X social platform that the incident occurred early Wednesday morning.

Earlier, the BBC reported that the second stage of the Falcon 9, which weighs approximately 4 tons and had been orbiting the Moon since last year, crashed onto the lunar surface at a speed of about 8,690 km/h. Scientists estimate that the impact could have created a crater approximately 18 meters in diameter and up to 4 meters deep.

Spacecraft operating in lunar orbit were unable to capture the moment of the crash, so researchers plan to examine the changes to the surface through new photographs. NASA has emphasized that the incident poses no danger to Earth. The data collected will help to better study the impacts on the Moon and to prepare for future missions planned under the Artemis program.