A Falcon 9 rocket will hit the Moon this summer at seven times the speed of sound

Astronomers say a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is likely to hit the Moon on August 5 around 06:44 UTC.

The rocket stage was left over from a January 15, 2025 launch that carried the Blue Ghost and Hakuto-R lunar landers.

Experts expect it to strike intact because the Moon has no atmosphere, though the flash may be too faint to see from Earth.

The predicted crash would be a rare human-made impact on the Moon and a reminder that spent rocket hardware can linger in space for months.