A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage HIT THE MOON on August 5, 2026—and new scientific evidence indicates that the predicted lunar impact occurred. Tonight, I’m breaking down what happened, where the rocket struck, how fast it was traveling, what scientists detected and why nobody captured a direct image of the collision.
The spent Falcon 9 upper stage, officially cataloged as 2025-010D, previously launched Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 and ispace’s RESILIENCE lunar lander toward the Moon on January 15, 2025. After remaining in an unstable Moon-crossing orbit, gravitational forces from Earth, the Moon and the Sun sent the abandoned rocket stage back toward the lunar surface.
The Falcon 9 stage was predicted to strike near the Einstein and Bell craters at approximately 06:35 UTC on August 5, traveling about 5,400 mph—or 2.4 kilometers per second. Scientists estimated that the impact could create a new lunar crater and send a plume of dust and debris high above the surface.
Although astronomers did not capture a direct photograph or video of the actual impact, observations reportedly detected sodium and lithium emissions shortly after the predicted collision time. Scientists believe the sodium originated from lunar material, while the lithium was associated with the rocket stage—providing important evidence that Falcon 9 struck the Moon as calculated.
In this LIVE investigation, I’ll show you:
• Why the Falcon 9 upper stage hit the Moon
• The predicted lunar impact location
• The rocket’s speed, mass and trajectory
• Evidence indicating that the impact occurred
• Why no telescope recorded a clear impact image
• What NASA and lunar orbiters may discover next
• How large the new impact crater could be
• Why artificial space debris is becoming a lunar concern
BONUS LIVE COVERAGE: Comet 10P/Tempel 2 recently passed perihelion and is making one of its most favorable appearances. We’ll examine the comet live through the telescope and discuss its orbit, brightness and journey through the solar system.
Important clarification: The dramatic spacecraft-impact sequences shown during this program are NASA scientific animations illustrating lunar impacts. They are not direct footage of the August 5 Falcon 9 collision. No verified video of the actual impact has been released.
Join Ray and the Cosmic Rays LIVE as we examine the evidence, the scientific predictions and the latest information surrounding this extraordinary Falcon 9 Moon impact.
NASA information:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/nasa-will-attempt-to-observe-rocket-parts-lunar-impact/
Scientific impact-planning paper:
https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.14625
Falcon 9 object tracking:
https://www.projectpluto.com/25010d.htm
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