Defunct part of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will slam into the moon

A discarded piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is on a collision course with the moon, according to astronomers tracking its journey. This second stage of the rocket, which is now completely defunct, is expected to make an impact at more than 5,000 miles per hour. While this might sound alarming, scientists assure the public that the event poses no threat to Earth or its inhabitants.

The rocket booster was initially launched in 2015 as part of a mission to send the NOAA's DSCOVR satellite into space. After successfully deploying its payload, the second stage did not have enough fuel left to return to Earth's atmosphere or escape Earth's gravity to enter a stable solar orbit. Instead, it became space junk, following an unpredictable path influenced by the gravitational pull of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

For seven years, this large piece of space debris has been tumbling through space. Experts have been closely monitoring its trajectory, and calculations confirm its imminent lunar impact. Although the moon experiences countless natural impacts from asteroids and meteoroids regularly, this particular event is significant because it is a human-made object. Scientists hope to learn more about the moon's geology by observing the crater created by this impact, offering a unique opportunity to study lunar material.