An abandoned SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the Moon. The real problem comes next - The Conversation

What the report says

The Conversation Africa reports that an abandoned SpaceX rocket stage is expected to hit the Moon in the early hours of August 5 UTC at about 8,700 kilometres per hour. The stage was launched in January 2025 to send two commercial lunar landers toward the Moon, then was left in an unstable orbit because it did not have enough fuel to return to Earth or head into deep space. The impact is expected near the isolated Einstein Crater and is not considered dangerous to Earth or current lunar activity.

The article says the collision could still be useful for science because researchers know the object’s approximate size, speed and impact area. They expect it may create a crater about 20–30 metres wide and throw lunar regolith several kilometres above the surface, offering data on crater formation and dust behaviour.

The wider concern, according to The Conversation Africa, is governance. With governments, companies and researchers planning landers, communications systems, resource missions and possible long-term bases, uncoordinated activity could damage equipment, contaminate experiments, disturb heritage sites such as Apollo-era locations, or endanger future crews. The Moon has little atmosphere or weather, so footprints, crash marks and other disturbances can remain for very long periods.

The article points to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which bars national ownership of the Moon but offers limited practical rules for day-to-day lunar coordination. It says UN space bodies are discussing resource and activity management, but current systems are thin compared with the pace of commercial investment. Suggested tools include a voluntary lunar activity registry and standard notices to warn operators about landings, rover routes and dust-producing operations.