Debris from a SpaceX rocket that has been drifting in space is expected to collide with the western surface of the moon around 3:34 p.m. on August 5. South Korea’s lunar orbiter 'Danuri' (KPLO) is scheduled to pass nearby at that time, raising expectations that it will capture images before and after the large-scale impact.
According to reports from NBC News and other foreign media outlets on the 2nd, the second stage of SpaceX's launch vehicle 'Falcon 9' (upper section; designation 2025-010D) is expected to collide near the western edge of the moon at 2:34 a.m. on the 5th (3:34 p.m. Korean time).
The second stage is part of a Falcon 9 rocket launched on January 15 last year. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander 'Blue Ghost' and iSpace's lunar lander 'Resilience'.
The first stage of the launch vehicle was recovered after being dropped into the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after launch. The second stage, which carried the payloads, entered orbit around the moon but remained in space due to fuel depletion. For approximately one year and six months afterward, it orbited in an elliptical path between the moon and Earth before gradually moving closer to the moon due to lunar gravity.
The object is expected to collide directly near Einstein Crater at a speed of about 8,700 km/h — roughly seven times faster than the speed of sound (the speed at which vibrations travel). The rocket weighs approximately 4.5 tons and measures 12 meters in length. Given that a heavy object will strike at such high speed, it is expected to create a large artificial crater on the moon after impact. According to the astronomy journal 'Astronomy', the depth of the crater formed by the collision is estimated to reach about 20 to 30 meters.
During the impact, regolith — lunar dust — is also expected to be ejected up to several kilometers above the lunar surface. Regolith is a layer of dust covering the moon’s surface, composed of small rock fragments formed by meteorite impacts.
The key question is whether South Korea’s lunar orbiter 'Danuri' (KPLO) will be able to capture the moment of impact. Danuri is South Korea’s first lunar probe, developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and launched in 2022. It entered a frozen orbit around the moon last September and is currently conducting observation missions until 2027. A frozen orbit refers to an orbit that can be maintained naturally without artificial adjustment due to lack of fuel.
According to analysis, Danuri is expected to approach within several kilometers of the predicted impact site about two minutes before the rocket collision. However, since the exact timing of the impact is based on numerical calculations, experts say there is a possibility that the time may change as the date approaches. In addition to Danuri, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is also expected to observe the scene before and after the collision.
in TECH
