A nearly 4-tonne part of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has been orbiting in space since last year, is set to hit the surface of the Moon today (Wednesday) after straying from its orbit.

According to experts, this collision will not pose any threat to the Earth, but a new crater will be formed on the surface of the moon and scientists will have an opportunity for further research.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the size of a school bus, launched Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander to the moon in January 2025.

The rocket part will hit the lunar surface at a speed of about 5,400 miles per hour (8,690 kilometers per hour) between 11:30 and 12:30 PM PT today.

As a result of this collision, a large cloud of dust on the moon will rise into the atmosphere, which is likely to be exposed to sunlight, but it will be difficult to see with the naked eye from Earth.

According to NASA, the impact is expected to create a crater about 60 feet (18 meters) wide and 12 feet (4 meters) deep, while scattering dust and rock fragments.

According to experts, this part of the rocket will hit the Einstein Crater on the western edge of the Moon, which is not normally clearly visible from Earth.

NASA says it will attempt to capture images of the site before and after the collision so that the data will help scientists better understand the artificial collision and its impact on lunar research.

Normally, rocket parts, called stages, burn up or fall into the ocean after entering Earth’s orbit after completing their mission, as they have completed the task of delivering the rocket’s payload to the desired orbit, but the January 2025 lunar mission required more power than near-Earth missions, leaving the second stage of the rocket in space along with thousands of other pieces of space debris. After de-orbiting, it continues to orbit in a directionless manner, which active satellites have to avoid.

Astronomers determined earlier this year that the part of the rocket, which had run out of fuel and could no longer be controlled, had reached a point where it would eventually hit the moon.