While a piece weighing approximately 4,000 kilograms that broke off from the Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX—the U.S. space transportation company owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk—is expected to crash into the Moon, NASA has stated that the incident poses no danger to Earth.
A piece that broke off from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched for a lunar mission last January, is heading toward the Moon. According to a statement by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a piece weighing approximately 4,000 kilograms that broke off from the Falcon 9 rocket operated by SpaceX—the U.S. space transportation company owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk—is expected to crash into the Moon. The statement noted that the impact, caused by the rocket fragment traveling at a speed of approximately 2.43 kilometers per second in orbit, is expected to occur in the morning hours.
NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said NASA will continue to monitor the impact area for scientific purposes but emphasized that “there is no danger to Earth.”
Dr. Matt Bothwell, a public astronomer at the University of Cambridge, said, “It’s going to be a really big thing hitting the Moon. It’s not dangerous in any way; we can just watch the show.”
Experts noted that the impact will not be visible to the naked eye from Earth, but those with advanced telescopes may be able to see a flash of light emanating from the Moon’s surface.