In partnership with
A Rocket's Mission Was Already Over
On January 15, 2025
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched two private lunar landers toward the Moon.
The mission was a success.
But one part of the rocket never came home.
Its upper stage continued drifting through space.
Unlike most Falcon 9 upper stages
It didn't have enough fuel to return to Earth's atmosphere.
Instead
Gravity slowly wrote a different ending.
Today's sponsor: The CODE.
Practical AI and software insights for developers and curious minds.
100+ Claude Code hacks to ship code 10X faster
Top engineers at Anthropic and OpenAI say AI now writes 100% of their code.
If you're not using AI, you're spending 40 hours doing what they do in 4.
These 100+ Claude Code hacks fix that and help you ship 10x faster.
Sign up for The Code and get:
100+ Claude Code hacks used by top engineers — free
The Code newsletter — learn the latest AI tools, tips, and skills to code faster with AI in 5 minutes a day
Back to the Newsletter
An Unplanned Collision
For more than a year
The empty rocket stage wandered through space.
Its path changed because of the combined effects of the Moon's gravity
Earth's gravity
And solar activity.
Astronomers tracked its orbit for months.
Eventually
They reached an unusual conclusion.
The rocket wasn't coming back to Earth.
It was heading straight for the Moon.
Impact Day
On August 5, 2026
The roughly four-ton Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon at approximately 5,400 mph (8,700 km/h).
The impact occurred near Einstein Crater on the Moon's far western limb.
Because the collision happened on the far side of the Moon
It could not be watched directly from Earth.
Scientists now expect lunar orbiters to image the new impact crater in the coming days.
Why Scientists Are Excited
Although accidental
The impact provides a rare scientific opportunity.
By studying the fresh crater
Researchers can learn more about:
The Moon's surface composition.
How lunar dust is ejected during high-speed impacts.
The formation of small impact craters.
The behavior of human-made objects striking airless worlds.
Since the Moon has virtually no atmosphere
The rocket reached the surface intact without burning up.
A Growing Problem Beyond Earth
Space debris isn't only an Earth-orbit problem anymore.
As more missions travel to the Moon
Mars
And beyond
Unused rocket stages and spacecraft can remain in unpredictable orbits for years.
This incident has renewed discussions about how future deep-space missions should safely dispose of hardware after completing their primary objectives.
More Than Just Space Junk
At first glance
It looked like a forgotten piece of metal.
In reality
It became an unintended experiment.
The collision created a brand-new crater
Added another chapter to lunar exploration
And reminded the world that humanity's footprint in space continues long after a mission ends.
Why This Story Matters
Space exploration doesn't always end when a rocket completes its mission.
Sometimes
The final chapter is written years later.
The Falcon 9 upper stage's collision with the Moon highlights both the incredible reach of modern spaceflight and the growing responsibility of managing hardware beyond Earth's orbit.
About Know Your History
Know Your History explores extraordinary true stories from history, science, engineering, technology, and space exploration.
Every edition uncovers fascinating events that prove reality is often stranger than fiction.
New stories every week.