SpaceX rocket stage crashes into Moon, reigniting space debris debate

A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crashed into the Moon, carving a tennis-court-sized crater and reviving the debate over space debris pollution. The booster, launched in January 2025, was pulled into the lunar surface at over 8,600 km/h by solar activity and gravity after its mission. NASA said Earth is safe, but experts note no binding international law governs space debris. Moon pollution is not new: Apollo-era impacts left roughly 200 tons of material. More pressing is low-Earth orbit, which holds 34,000 sizable debris pieces and risks collision cascades.