The layer of a SpaceX rocket collides with the surface of the moon and forms a debris cloud

The upper layer of a SpaceX rocket hit the surface of the moon on Wednesday, as scientists confirmed based on observations made by a telescope in Chile that captured evidence of a cloud of debris.

It is expected that the collision, which was not intentional, created a crater on the surface of the moon, which space agencies, including the American NASA, hope to document. Scientists expected that the upper layer of the Falcon 9 rocket, which is the size of a bus, would hit the surface of the moon at approximately 06:35 GMT on Wednesday, which is what happened.

The European Southern Observatory announced on social media that its telescope, located in Chile, “detected spectral lines,” which are “chemical fingerprints of sodium and lithium in the impact cloud that persisted between five and ten minutes after the event.” He explained, "The sodium is most likely from the lunar soil, while the lithium may be from the rocket."

The US Space Agency (NASA) intends to take pictures of the collision site via its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter lunar probe and the South Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, knowing that it will take days for the pictures to become available.

Scientists and astronomers were hoping to see the cloud of dust, rocks and debris that resulted from the impact and were illuminated by the sun. Assuming that the fuel was completely consumed, researchers said before confirming the incident that the rocket layer, which weighs about four tons, should have fallen at a speed of approximately 8,690 kilometers per hour near the Einstein Crater in the northern half of the moon.

NASA spokesman Jimmy Russell confirmed in a statement, “There is no danger to Earth,” adding, “NASA will continue to track the upper layer of the rocket for training purposes, and then will monitor the impact site for scientific purposes.”

The Falcon 9 rocket, manufactured by Elon Musk's company SpaceX, was launched into space in January 2025 carrying two vehicles. The propulsion layer returned to Earth, while the upper layer, which had become space debris, remained in space to continue transporting the two spacecraft.