A SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Stage Will Crash Into the Moon in March

pcmag.com:

Part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket weighing 4 metric tons is expected to crash into the surface of the Moon on March 4.

As Ars Technica reports, the Falcon 9 second stage has been following a chaotic orbit for the past seven years after it failed to escape the Earth-Moon system gravity following a 2015 launch. It formed part of a SpaceX rocket used to lift the NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) into orbit, and you'd be forgiven for forgetting it was up there, tumbling out of control.

Recent observations by Bill Gray, who writes the Project Pluto software used to track near-Earth objects, predict the rocket section will hit the surface of the Moon on March 4. However, there's still nearly six weeks until that happens and a number of factors could alter its path, albeit slightly. Gray is asking astronomers around the world to keep an eye on the object in the coming weeks to help refine the prediction.

For now, it's expected to hit the far side of the Moon near the equator on March 4. NASA will be keen to know exactly when and where the rocket stage will impact so it can position satellites to observe the subsurface material the heavy object throws up.

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