SpaceX Rocket Debris Collides with Moon, Dumping 4 Tons of Space Junk

SpaceX rocket debris that had been drifting in space collided with the lunar surface on the 5th, local time.

The U.S. economic magazine Forbes reported that the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed near the Einstein crater on the far side of the moon that morning at a speed of 5,400 mph (approx. 8,690 km/h).

This rocket served as the booster for the private lunar lander missions Blue Ghost Mission 1 and Resilience, which were launched for lunar exploration on January 15 of last year, and had been drifting in outer space after completing their mission.

Tracking was belatedly initiated after observations raised concerns that the remaining debris could strike the lunar surface, and astronomers had closely monitored the impending crash until today.

The research team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico estimated that the impact likely carved a new crater measuring about 65 to 100 feet (19.8 to 30.5 meters) wide on the lunar surface.

With the addition of the Falcon 9 debris weighing a total of 4 tons, the amount of artificial debris accumulated on the moon has further increased.

As lunar exploration has been underway since the 1960s, it is estimated that space debris left on the lunar surface alone now amounts to 209 tons.

Much of this is known to consist of lunar landers left behind during the Apollo program and crashed probes from various space agencies.

Forbes explained that the space debris issue is becoming increasingly severe as NASA pursues the construction of a lunar base, alongside lunar exploration efforts by China and private companies.

In particular, experts pointed out that as lunar exploration increases, undetected debris could impact satellites, future bases, and historical sites such as Apollo landing locations, necessitating international agreements regarding the disposal of space equipment.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.