Private lunar landers advance moon race amid setbacks and breakthroughs
Private companies and superpowers are accelerating lunar missions with mixed early results.
Event / Technology
Lunar Rocket Debris Impact
Space agencies monitor unintentional SpaceX rocket collision with the moon, marking the second known lunar impact of rocket debris as global competition for sustained lunar exploration and habitation accelerates.
1 reported locations
Daily activity
0 articles0 articles
2026-08-14 to 2026-11-11 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 2 Aug, 02:22 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
US and China racing to land astronauts on moon in coming years
The United States and China are competing to land astronauts on the moon within the next few years. SpaceX and Blue Origin are competing to provide the lunar lander for NASA's Artemis IV mission, which will send the first moonwalkers since the Apollo era.
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost completes first private lunar touchdown
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander became the first private spacecraft to achieve a fully successful lunar landing after launching on January 15, 2025. The lander was deployed by the SpaceX rocket upper stage that is now on a collision course with the moon.
Impact crater expected to measure 90 feet across and 16 feet deep
Scientists anticipate the SpaceX rocket impact will carve an impact crater approximately 90 feet across and 16 feet deep (27 meters across and 5 meters deep). The crater will be too small to observe from Earth but will be visible to spacecraft.
Chinese rocket segment previously impacted lunar far side
A Chinese rocket segment crashed into the far side of the moon in 2022, creating a pair of craters. The upcoming SpaceX impact will be the second known unintentional rocket crash on the moon.
Japan-based ispace lunar lander crashed during January 2025 mission
A lunar lander operated by Japan-based company ispace crashed during its landing attempt after launching on January 15, 2025 aboard the SpaceX rocket that is now on a collision course with the moon.
SpaceX rocket upper stage set to impact moon near Einstein Crater
A drifting SpaceX rocket upper stage will collide with the moon on Wednesday at approximately 5,400 mph (7 times the speed of sound) near Einstein Crater on the moon's sunlit western limb. The abandoned rocket segment measures approximately 40 feet and weighs around 10,000 pounds. It launched two private lunar landers on January 15, 2025, more than a year before the predicted impact.
NASA and South Korea spacecraft to observe lunar impact
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter will gather before-and-after imagery of the SpaceX rocket impact. Danuri is expected to pass within one to two miles of the rocket just two minutes before impact.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
SpaceX rocket stage expected to impact lunar surface near Einstein Crater
SpaceX rocket debris will impact the moon with NASA and South Korea observing the impact.