A SpaceX rocket's upper stage is predicted to unintentionally crash into the moon near Einstein Crater on Wednesday, creating a crater and plume of dust. Scientists are eager to observe the impact, which highlights the growing issue of space debris.
An upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, launched during SpaceX's Firefly Blue Ghost mission in January 2025, is projected to crash into the moon near the Einstein Crater on August 5 at 2:35 AM ET. Astronomers plan to observe this artificial impact to study dust movement and space debris hazards.
The upper stage of China's Zhuque-2E rocket broke apart in low-Earth orbit on June 9, creating an estimated 100-150 pieces of debris. The fragments pose a potential threat to SpaceX's Starlink satellites and other spacecraft, though they are expected to reenter the atmosphere within months due to aerodynamic drag.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage, drifting since January 2021, is set to impact the Moon's Einstein crater on August 5, posing no immediate danger but underscoring the need for lunar debris management regulations as space activity increases.
Astronomers predict a Falcon 9 rocket upper stage from a January 2025 launch carrying Firefly's Blue Ghost and ispace's Hakuto-R lunar landers will impact the Moon on August 5, 2025 at 2:44 am ET. The 13.8-meter upper stage, tracked as 2025-010D with over 1,000 observations, will strike the near side at 2.43 km/s (5,400 mph) near Einstein Crater. While the impact will create a small crater, astronomers say there is no risk to any current lunar assets. The article notes this is not the first false alarm of this type and recommends launch companies dispose of upper stages in solar orbits to prevent future lunar contamination.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully landed its reusable booster on a drone ship during the NG-3 mission, marking the first reuse of a flown booster. However, the upper stage failed to place the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 satellite in the correct orbit, placing it too low for operations. The FAA has grounded New Glenn pending investigation, with Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp acknowledging the BE-3U engine didn't produce sufficient thrust. This marks the first major failure for the program since its inaugural flight in January 2025.
The FAA has classified Blue Origin's recent New Glenn launch as a "mishap" after the rocket's upper stage failed to deploy its satellite payload into the intended orbit. The agency has grounded the company, owned by Jeff Bezos, pending a detailed investigation to ensure public safety and prevent future occurrences.
FAA has instructed Blue Origin to investigate the upper stage failure of its New Glenn rocket during Sunday's launch, grounding the vehicle until the probe concludes. The third New Glenn launch successfully landed a reused booster but placed AST SpaceMobile's communications satellite in a lower than planned orbit, rendering it lost. AST SpaceMobile says it has insurance coverage and new satellites ready in weeks. The failure could impact Blue Origin's goal of 12 missions this year and its lunar lander ambitions.
Blue Origin's reused first stage hit its targets, but New Glenn's upper stage did not.
