The four-ton piece of space debris is believed to have created a new crater on the lunar surface
A discarded stage from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is believed to have crashed into the Moon on Wednesday after drifting through space for more than a year, according to scientists tracking its trajectory.
Researchers had predicted that the four-ton upper stage would strike the lunar surface near the Einstein Crater at around 8,700 kph, creating a new crater. The collision was expected at approximately 06:35 GMT, although official confirmation is still pending.
Astronomers had hoped to observe a flash and a plume of lunar dust from Earth, but no clear sighting was immediately reported. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s Danuri probe are expected to photograph the impact site, though the images could take several days to process.
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