SpaceX Rocket Engine Crashes on Moon, Creating New Lunar Crater

A rocket engine from a SpaceX launch vehicle crashed onto the Moon on Wednesday morning, impacting the lunar surface at a speed of 8,700 kilometers per hour. Dr. Roni Moalem, a specialist in natural sciences and biology at Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center, explained that the object was a spent rocket engine that had been drifting in space since the launch over a year ago. It was eventually captured by the Moon's weak gravity and fell to the surface, creating a new crater.

Dr. Moalem emphasized that such events are rare because satellites and rockets in Earth's orbit typically do not reach the Moon, which is much farther away. He reassured that the impact poses no danger to Earth, as our atmosphere protects the planet by burning up most debris entering at high speeds. Even if fragments reach the surface, they usually fall into the ocean or unpopulated areas. Monitoring systems track space debris to predict potential impact zones.

Regarding the Moon, Dr. Moalem noted that its lack of atmosphere means objects strike at high speeds, forming craters that remain visible due to the absence of weathering processes like wind or rain. The recent impact involved about four tons of material and raised dust but did not cause significant changes to the lunar surface. He contrasted this with asteroid impacts on Earth, which can be far more destructive due to their size and the inability of the atmosphere to fully disintegrate large objects.