AkaSci 🛰️
As if space debris on Earth is not bad enough, we also have debris striking the moon.
On Aug 5, 06:34:33 UTC, a SpaceX Falcon spent upper stage will crash into the Moon at ~8,700 km/h.
The upper stage propelled the Blue Ghost and Hakuto-R missions on Jan 15, 2025. It ended up in an unstable ~200K x 600K km orbit around earth. On Aug 5, the Moon, in its 384K km orbit, will be smack in the object's path.
See map below for impact location.
Timo
@AkaSci What a great low-budget sci-fi movie this would make. Billionaire Booster crash triggers a fault that splits the moon, causing havoc on earth. Resulting riots and cause huge crowds to chase after the billionaires and the authorities adjacent to them. A really low budget movie.
AkaSci 🛰️
Here is the Two Line Element Set (TLE) for the SpaceX Falcon spent upper stage catalogued as 2025-010D, for those who know how to use it to generate orbits.
1 62719U 25010D 26226.39285003 -.00003969 00000-0 00000-0 0 9999
2 62719 12.9402 286.6581 4538426 255.5778 69.9176 0.05909371 240
AkaSci 🛰️
RE: https://scicomm.xyz/@cosmos4u/117040472962917305
Some more info from
https://fosstodon.org/@cosmos4u@scicomm.xyz/117040473055715467
6/n
AkaSci 🛰️
The SpaceX Falcon upper stage, that will crash into the Moon on Aug 5, is catalogued as 2025-010D, and is 13.8 m long, 3.7 m in diameter and weighs ~4,900 kg.
Why was it loitering in an unstable moon-crossing orbit?
ESA’s Space Debris Office had proposed a solution back in 2015 that spent boosters on lunar missions should enter orbit around the Sun. But, the guidance is probably treated as voluntary.
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/spacex-booster-will-hit-the-moon-this-august/
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/End-of-life_disposal_of_satellites
2/n
AkaSci 🛰️
This is an image of the double crater formed due to the crash of a rocket upper stage on March 4, 2022.
The impact site was inside Hertzsprung Crater on the far side of the moon.
Early speculation held that it was likely the upper stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched the DSCOVR mission for NASA in 2015. Later, scientists concluded that the rocket body was probably part of the Long March 3 booster that launched China's Chang'e 5-T1 in 2014.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/lro/nasas-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-spots-rocket-impact-site-on-moon/
#Space
3/n
AkaSci 🛰️
About the SpaceX Falcon spent upper stage that will crash into the Moon tonight around 06:35:37.5 UTC.
Orbit: 290,000 x 560,000 km around earth
Period: ~32 days.
Impact speed: ∼8,700 km/h
Expected crater diameter: ∼40 m
It is currently headed towards earth but the moon will get in its way a few hours from now at ~375,000 km from earth.
The impact will not be visible from earth but its ejecta plume might be.
https://www.projectpluto.com/25010d.htm
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.00360
https://www.satcat.com/sats/62719
4/n
AkaSci 🛰️
RE: https://mastodon.social/@esoastronomy/117043775907105979
First detection of the plume created by the crash of the SpaceX spent upper stage into the moon last night.
Spectroscopic measurements taken with the UVES instrument at the VLT in Chile show emission lines of sodium & lithium in the plume that lasted for 5-10 minutes after impact.
The sodium likely originated from the lunar soil, whereas the lithium could come from the rocket itself.
https://fosstodon.org/@esoastronomy@mastodon.social/117043776096559830
8/n
AkaSci 🛰️
South Korea's lunar orbiter, Danuri successfully imaged the impact site of the SpaceX upper stage on the moon, before and after the collision.
Danuri took 8 images, one ~33 minutes before impact, followed by seven more after the crash.
https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/danuri-captures-beforeandafter-images-of-falcon-9-debris-impact/12812765
https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2026/08/06/VGWNSU3ZWZDRJPVP3G27VWIMFI/
https://www.dongascience.com/en/news/79308
9/n
AkaSci 🛰️
It does not appear that the crash of the SpaceX spent upper stage or its ejecta plume (just behind the edge of the Moon) were visible from earth last night.
Hopefully, we will get images of the crater from one or more of the lunar orbiters soon.
AkaSci 🛰️
Video of the plume from the SpaceX upper stage crash on the moon posted by Jose Maria Madiedo at the Astrophysics Institute of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).
Probably taken at the Sierra Nevada Observatory at Loma de Dilar (2,896 m altitude) in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the province of Granada, Spain.
https://nitter.net/jmmadiedo/status/2085344665562165293#m
https://www.iaa.csic.es/
10/n
AkaSci 🛰️
Hi-res photo of the crater formed by the crash of the SpaceX Falcon spent upper stage on the Moon on Aug 5.
Taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on Aug 11-12.
Crater diameter: 15 m
Depth: 3 m
Location: 19.4759°N, 266.7138°E
Image width: ~400 m
GNU social JP is a social network, courtesy of GNU social JP管理人. It runs on GNU social, version 2.0.2-dev, available under the GNU Affero General Public License.
All GNU social JP content and data are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.