An empty upper stage part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket hit the moon at about 8 am UK time. The 8,800-pound five-story rocket hardware was expected to be traveling at about 5,400 mph at the time of the crash, which occurred near an area called the Einstein Crater. American space agency, NASA , (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration), says there is no risk to us here on Earth and that they will “observe the impact site for scientific purposes.”

Predicated as early as April by astronomer Bill Gray, the lunar crash had for months attracted considerable attention from astronomers and the general public. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, known as Danuri, began observations about 30 minutes before the crash and continued to monitor the site afterward, making “a total of 8 imaging sessions,” the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said in a translated post on social media site X and their website to spot from Earth, lunar orbiters and, possibly, even other spacecraft were expected to be in position to document the aftermath. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will also be in position to photograph the site over the coming days.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured for, what the company calls “the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond.” SpaceX innovated the first orbital-class booster landing in 2015 and successfully re-flared a used booster in 2017. As NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wrote on X “NASA intentionally crashed spent stages (spent stages are the used up rocket boosters with no fuel) into the moon for science and seismic research.”