SpaceX rocket stage crashes into moon, Chile telescope detects plume

A discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage crashed into the moon on Wednesday, ending more than a year of uncontrolled flight. The 8,800-pound second stage, launched in January 2025 to carry lunar landers, struck at 5,400 mph, producing a lithium and sodium gas plume detected by a Chilean telescope. SpaceX said the collision was unintentional, caused by solar activity and gravity. NASA said the event poses no danger to Earth. Human-made lunar impacts are uncommon, though meteoroids hit the moon daily because it lacks an atmosphere.