A SpaceX rocket will hit the Moon in early March. Specifically, they are the remains of a Falcon 9 that weighs about four tons and has been wandering in an erratic orbit between the Earth and the Moon for years.
These remains are part of the second stage of the mentioned rocket and they travel at about 2.58 kilometers per second. According to Bill Gray of Project Pluto software, it is likely to hit the satellite on March 4.
But nevertheless, “it is difficult to accurately predict the effects” that the sunlight can have on this stage of the rocket and, therefore, the slight alterations that it could have on its orbit. Therefore, it is necessary to continue observing its movements in the coming weeks to determine the time and place of impact.
In case the impact takes place, this will be the first time that a piece of a space object hits the Moon without intending it. In interplanetary missions, the upper stage of the rocket is sent into a heliocentric orbit, away from the Earth and the Moon.
This information will allow satellites currently orbiting the Moon, including NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, to collect observations on the impact crater. With the LCROSS mission, NASA deliberately impacted the upper stage of a spent rocket on the Moon in 2009 for this purpose.
Although scientists are more interested in understanding the presence of ice at the lunar poles, being able to observe subsurface material ejected by the impact of the Falcon 9 rocket could still provide some valuable data.
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