{"id":25884,"date":"2026-08-03T07:06:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T02:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25884"},"modified":"2026-08-03T07:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T02:06:49","slug":"defunct-part-of-spacex-falcon-9-rocket-will-slam-into-the-moon-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25884","title":{"rendered":"Defunct part of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will slam into the moon : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-136854\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 4612;&#10;        --source-height: 3075;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x3075+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A with a payload of a pair of lunar landers at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A with a payload of a pair of lunar landers at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    John Raoux\/AP<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        John Raoux\/AP<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to slam into the moon on Wednesday, according to scientists.<\/p>\n<p>The piece is expected to hit the moon around 2:35 a.m. ET at more than 5,000 miles per hour, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectpluto.com\/25010d.htm\" target=\"_blank\">according to analysis<\/a> by Bill Gray, who develops software that tracks objects in space. It is part of the rocket&#8217;s upper portion and about the size of a five-story building.<\/p>\n<p>It was part of the Falcon 9 rocket that carried two lunar landers and scientific instruments to the moon in January 2025.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5917201-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5887659\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/31\/nx-s1-5887659\/nasa-simulated-mission-moon-mars-application\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/31\\\/nx-s1-5887659\\\/nasa-simulated-mission-moon-mars-application&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1900x1900+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F6b%2F005e45814a0dbad4a0545bfd8ae2%2F60bd2789-d86c-4b39-88c7-52616fa79e43.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Four people smile up at the camera. They are wearing dark uniforms and one person has a U.S. flag patched onto the sleeve. They are close together, in a small, metallic, well-lit ladder well.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5917201-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>The piece is expected to hit a sunlit side of the moon facing Earth, which will be partially illuminated, in the northwestern portion near the Einstein Crater, according to Gray. The impact could leave a crater at least 17 meters in diameter, he said.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX did not intend for the defunct piece to hit the moon, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/spacex-rocket-moon-crash-512c4dd708b4cda1160d30b764f9fdb5\" target=\"_blank\">according to the Associated Press<\/a>. NPR reached out to SpaceX for comment but has not received a response.<\/p>\n<p>Brent Garry, a project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said the orbiter will pass over the region before and after the impact to get a sense of any changes to the surface.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After the impact we might have a little bit more knowledge of where it is. We can do some additional targeting about a week after the impact and get some targeting over where the site is,&#8221; Garry said in June during a discussion about the upcoming impact held by NASA&#8217;s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI).<\/p>\n<p>The impact may not be visible; even a plume of dust may be difficult for professional telescopes to pick up, according to some researchers.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5917201-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Rocks ejected by the impact may form a &#8220;plume&#8221; that will be visible against the dark background once they&#8217;re off the moon,&#8221; Gray wrote on his website. &#8220;As with much in science, the answer is &#8220;we don&#8217;t know; let&#8217;s find out&#8221;&#8230;.Maybe we&#8217;ll see rocks ejected from the crater.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But some researchers also say that while viewing may be challenging, it could be visible with sensitive telescopes. It also presents an opportunity for scientists to get a glimpse of impacts to the moon.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<aside id=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" class=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" aria-label=\"recommended stories\"\/>\n<!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Given these are so rare, I would encourage people who are interested and aware of the risks to take a look,&#8221; according to Ben Fernando, postdoctoral fellow and researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory, who was part of the discussion. &#8220;To be clear, this is not something that you&#8217;re going to see by pointing a pair of binoculars at the moon, but if you have the right equipment and the right time\u2026why not take a look?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A with a payload of a pair of lunar landers at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. John Raoux\/AP hide caption toggle caption John Raoux\/AP A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to slam into the moon&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4612x2594+0+0\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2f%2Fcb%2F6189e4a54967abb903f2fed59bca%2Fap25015230325064.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}