Space debris has a new distinction: the first unintentional lunar crash. A discarded upper stage from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket struck the moon's surface early Wednesday, ending a year-long drift through space that astronomers had tracked since April. Main Developments The impact occurred around 2:35 a.m. ET (0635 GMT) on the moon's western limb, specifically at Einstein Crater. The 4-metric-ton object hit while traveling at roughly 5,400 miles per hour (8,690 kph). Confirmation of the crash was not expected for at least several hours. Scientists planned to study images captured by telescopes in the Americas, according to the BBC. No spacecraft orbiting the moon was positioned to record the event live. Read also: Why Pakistan's power sell-off hinges on a one-month reform push The collision likely kicked up a plume of lunar dust illuminated by sunlight, though it would be difficult to spot with the naked eye from Earth. SpaceX confirmed the impact was unintentional. How the rocket got there This second stage launched a lunar lander for Firefly Aerospace toward the moon in January 2025. Unlike typical missions where such stages fall back to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere, this one required extra thrust that left it stranded in space. The rocket body had dumped its remaining fuel and was uncontrollable. Astronomers only determined earlier this year that solar activity and gravity forces had put it on a collision course with the moon, as Julianna Scheiman, SpaceX director of NASA science and Dragon programs, explained to reporters Monday. Background Lunar impacts from space junk are uncommon but not unprecedented. A Chinese rocket stage crashed into the moon in March 2022 after a lunar test mission. NASA intentionally crashed a rocket stage there in 2009 to study the resulting debris plume. Several recent lunar landing attempts have ended in crashes. Russia's Luna-25 mission spun out of control in 2023, leaving its plutonium-238 power source likely harmless on the surface. India's Chandrayaan-2 crashed in 2019, and Israel's Beresheet lander failed the same year, potentially depositing microscopic tardigrades that may still survive there. NASA also deliberately crashed Saturn V rocket stages into the moon during the 1970s to measure seismic effects. Why It Matters This event highlights the growing problem of uncontrolled space hardware. Thousands of pieces of space junk now float in orbit, and active satellites must constantly steer clear of them. Bill Gray, creator of widely used astronomy software who published an April report on the impact, called it "a certain carelessness about how leftover space hardware is disposed of." He noted the crash presents no danger to anyone but offers minor scientific interest. The stakes rise with NASA's Artemis program, which plans to build a lunar base and send routine astronaut missions later this decade. Errant debris striking those assets would be a serious problem. What's Next NASA and SpaceX are discussing ways to prevent future lunar impacts, according to Scheiman. Scientists will analyze telescope images in the coming hours and days to confirm the crash and study any resulting crater or dust plume. The incident raises open questions about how the growing commercial space industry will manage discarded hardware as lunar missions become more frequent.