Space Junk Punches a New Hole in the Moon

On 5 August, a derelict SpaceX rocket struck the moon near Einstein Crater, creating a fresh crater. Traveling at 5,400 mph, it was a Falcon 9 upper stage launched in 2025. Astronomers were excited, detecting sodium and lithium in the debris plume. No one was hurt, so no one was responsible, and the story faded quickly. The rocket had been left in a high orbit that crossed the moon's path, with no deliberate end planned.

The author, who tracks space junk, calls the crater a 'receipt' for an industry that treats space as a dump. He argues we don't own the moon but behave as if we do, showing a colonial instinct. Rocket bodies have hit the moon before, in 2022, and are treated as curiosities. Low Earth orbit is congested with debris, and Starlink's satellites cause rising near misses. We built this congestion through hubris, believing space can absorb anything.

The author insists the problem is entitlement, not carelessness. We know better but do it anyway because no one stops us. The moon has no atmosphere or tides to clean up debris, so it's permanent. Fixes are not exotic or expensive, yet we continue to abandon rockets. This is like empires taking frontiers: plant a flag, extract value, leave the mess. We need a new model of accountability and stewardship.

Sources: theguardian.com