Falcon 9 rocket will crash into the moon after 7 years of wandering in space

On February 11, 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket traveled beyond Earth orbit and geostationary orbit for the first time. After 7 years, it will crash into the moon.

What is known

The rocket successfully delivered the satellite to the L1 point, which is located at a distance of 1 million km from our planet. The second stage of the Falcon 9, after completing its task, went on an uncontrolled journey through space, which will come to an end in less than a month and a half.

Bill Gray, an expert in tracking space objects, said that the Falcon 9 will crash into the far side of the moon. The mass of the second stage is 4 tons. According to the engineer, the collision of the rocket with the natural satellite of the Earth will take place on March 4, 2022. The speed of the second stage at this moment will be 2.58 km / s.

This will be the first unplanned fall of an artificial object on the surface of a celestial body. Gray stressed that if the satellite flies close to the impact site, it will be able to capture the crater, which in theory will open up new possibilities for studying that part of the moon.

A source: The Guardian