# SpaceX Falcon 9 stage hits the Moon as predicted 2026-08-08T13:02:08+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The spent upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket struck the Moon on 5 August at 6:35 UTC, exactly as predicted by NASA and independent trackers. The impact near the Einstein and Bell craters carved a crater roughly 60 feet wide and 12 feet deep. Unlike natural meteoroid impacts, this one has a complete history: known manufacturer, launch date, payload, and trajectory. It originated from the January 2025 launch of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 lander. The event was observed by ground telescopes, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and South Korea's Danuri orbiter. Scientists detected sodium and lithium in the debris plume, offering rare data for impact studies. The agency notes a meteoroid with comparable energy strikes the Moon every six days, making this impact geologically ordinary despite its unusual origin. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Danuri, Falcon 9, lunar debris, Moon impact, NASA, SpaceX Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/spacex-falcon-9-stage-hits-the-moon-as-predicted/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/spacex-falcon-9-stage-hits-the-moon-as-predicted/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.