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

A piece of drifting SpaceX rocket debris collided with the lunar surface on the 5th (local time).

The U.S. business magazine Forbes reported that the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed near the Einstein crater on the far side of the Moon earlier that morning at a speed of 5,400 miles per hour (approx. 8,690 kilometers per hour).

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

As observations were raised that the remaining debris could impact the lunar surface, tracking was conducted belatedly, and astronomers closely monitored the crash until it happened that day.

A research team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico predicted that this collision likely carved out a new crater approximately 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.

It is estimated that lunar space debris left on the Moon's surface has reached 209 tons since lunar exploration began in the 1960s.

Most of this debris 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 recently attempts to build a lunar base while China and private companies also pursue lunar exploration.

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, urging that international agreements regarding the disposal of space equipment must be established.

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