Multiple outlets report that a discarded SpaceX rocket upper stage is on a projected collision course with the Moon. The stage is described as drifting after helping launch a pair of lunar landers in the past year or more, and its current trajectory is expected to bring it into the Moon’s path at high speed. Sky News says the expected impact speed is about 5,400 mph (around 8,700 km/h) and that the estimated energy of the collision is comparable to several tons of TNT, though other sources focus more generally on the collision risk rather than specific blast estimates.
The reports frame the event as an example of space debris originating from past missions, with the Independent noting broader concern about the growing amount of debris in Earth orbit and beyond. Other coverage emphasizes the timeline since the lunar lander launch and the fact that this rocket stage is now moving independently. Across sources, the central points are that the stage is currently tracking toward the Moon, that the mission origins involve SpaceX’s lunar lander launch, and that agencies monitor such objects to assess potential impacts.
