No One Saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Crash Into the Moon

The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket made a crash landing on the Moon on Wednesday. Although astronomers had plenty of notice and aimed their telescopes and instruments at the Moon, no observatory managed to obtain direct images of the collision.

The rocket was traveling at about 5,400 mph when it struck the lunar surface. The strongest evidence so far comes from an observation in Chile, where scientists using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope detected a stream of sodium and lithium a few minutes after the predicted impact time. Researchers believe the sodium was ejected from the lunar surface, while the lithium likely came from the rocket itself.

NASA, which had said it would attempt to observe the crash, has not yet released images or results. Other scientific institutions are also still analyzing their data.

According to NASA estimates, the Falcon 9 upper stage carved out a crater approximately 60 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep, scattering a cloud of dust and rock onto the Moon. The first images of the crater may arrive soon, as NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a South Korean orbiter are set to pass over the region.

Even with professional ground-based telescopes, capturing the impact proved difficult due to lighting conditions and the location of the crash site. Unsurprisingly, hoax images and videos purporting to show the moment of impact are already circulating on social media.

Not all rocket debris ends up on the Moon. After completing its mission in early 2025, the Falcon 9 upper stage ended up in an unstable orbit. Over more than a year, the gravity of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun gradually altered its trajectory until it eventually hit the lunar surface. The Moon was previously struck by a Chinese rocket in 2022. With more lunar activity expected in the coming years, the need for strong safety protocols is only growing.