The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is on track to hit the Moon this August, traveling at an incredible speed of over 5,400 mph. This event was highlighted by astronomer Bill Gray, who tracks objects in space. He identified the rocket part back in September 2025 as it followed a collision course with the Moon.
This Falcon 9 rocket was launched on January 15, 2025, to deliver two lunar landers. One, from Firefly Aerospace, landed successfully, while the other unfortunately crashed. Gray is no stranger to predicting lunar impacts; he previously tracked a Chinese rocket stage that impacted the Moon in March 2022.
While this impact might sound exciting, it raises important concerns. NASA’s plans for a lunar base mean more rockets will be launched towards the Moon. In fact, with increased missions, tracking and managing space debris will become vital.
Currently, NASA monitors space debris closely, focusing especially on objects that could threaten the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS often needs to change its orbit to avoid collisions with space junk, which can be catastrophic.
As lunar missions increase, navigating through space debris will be even more crucial. The U.S. Space Force might need to enhance its monitoring systems to prevent debris from striking lunar landers and impacting the Moon’s surface.
Space debris is becoming a significant issue. According to a 2025 European Space Agency report, traffic in space has seen a marked increase since 2015, largely due to private satellites like SpaceX’s Starlink. As of this year, SpaceX has launched over 10,000 satellites into orbit.
This surge in space traffic raises safety concerns. The ESA report noted that collisions between active satellites and space debris are becoming increasingly common, complicating tracking efforts. The challenge has led to discussions about solutions like giant nets and harpoons to capture debris, although none have been implemented yet.
Space junk doesn’t just linger in orbit; it can also re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. In a notable incident on January 17, 2025, debris fell in a Kenyan village, thought to be from an Indian rocket. Most rocket parts are deorbited safely in remote ocean areas, such as “Point Nemo,” but the risk of junk falling unpredictably still exists.
