SpaceX and NASA study disposal paths after Falcon 9 stage set to hit moon

SpaceX says it is working with NASA on ways to prevent future upper-stage collisions with the moon after a Falcon 9 stage from a January 2025 launch is set to impact the lunar surface, SpaceNews reported. The stage, used to launch lunar landers built by Firefly Aerospace and ispace, is on a trajectory to collide near Einstein crater on the western limb at 2:35 a.m. Eastern on Aug. 5, according to astronomer Bill Gray. The impact energy is estimated as equivalent to two to three tons of TNT and is unlikely to be visible from Earth, though a plume might be. Julianna Scheiman, director of NASA science and Dragon programs at SpaceX, said at an Aug. 3 NASA Crew-13 briefing that solar activity and gravity put the stage on the path. She said the company passivated the stage under applicable rules and that deorbit is not possible on such high-energy trajectories the way it is for low Earth orbit missions. Scheiman said SpaceX is partnering with NASA and other agencies on the best future disposal path for high-energy missions in the sun-Earth-moon system. NASA plans to image the site with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and South Korea's Danuri orbiter will also attempt observations.