Bill Gray
Coverage of Bill Gray in the Nexus archive.
- Piece of SpaceX rocket believed to have crashed into the moon
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, launched in January 2025 to assist a Firefly Aerospace lunar lander, is believed to have crashed into the moon's Einstein Crater at high speed. The impact, caused by solar and gravitational forces, highlights concerns about uncontrolled space junk, though no danger was posed. This follows a 2022 Chinese rocket stage crash and NASA's 2009 intentional moon impact.
- A dead SpaceX rocket that’s been adrift for over a year is about to slam into the moon, carving out a new crater with the equivalent of 3 tons of TNT
A SpaceX rocket upper stage, drifting since 2025, is set to collide with the moon at 5,400 mph near Einstein Crater, creating a crater equivalent to 3 tons of TNT. Scientists will observe the impact to study debris hazards for future lunar missions, as this marks the second accidental rocket crash on the moon after a 2022 Chinese rocket incident.
- A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon
A SpaceX rocket's upper stage is unintentionally set to collide with the moon at 5,400 mph, creating a crater near Einstein Crater. Scientists will observe the impact to study debris hazards for future lunar missions, with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri orbiter capturing before-and-after images.
- A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon
A SpaceX rocket's upper stage is on a collision course with the moon, impacting near Einstein Crater at 5,400 mph. The event, unintentional and similar to a 2022 Chinese rocket incident, will be observed by scientists to study debris hazards for future lunar missions. The rocket previously launched two lunar landers, one successful and one failed.
- A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon
A SpaceX rocket's upper stage is on a collision course with the moon's near side, creating a crater and dust plume visible via telescopes. This event, occurring at 5,400 mph near Einstein Crater, is the second known accidental lunar impact by a discarded rocket, following a 2022 Chinese rocket incident. Scientists will analyze the debris hazard using NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri.
- A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon
A SpaceX rocket's upper stage is on a collision course with the moon, expected to impact at 5,400 mph near Einstein Crater, creating a visible dust plume and crater. Scientists will study the event to understand debris hazards for future lunar missions, with NASA and South Korea's Danuri orbiter capturing before-and-after imagery.
- A Falcon 9 rocket will hit the Moon this summer at seven times the speed of sound
The upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, launched in early 2025, is expected to collide with the Moon on August 5 at 2:44 am ET. Astronomer Bill Gray, using his Project Pluto software, predicts the intact impact will occur on the near side of the Moon, though it may be too faint for Earth-based telescopes to observe.