Elon Musk's Space Nightmare: Billionaire's SpaceX Rocket Junk Set to Slam Into the Moon Very Soon
Elon Musk could soon have a moon problem.
May 12 2026, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Elon Musk may soon have a space problem, RadarOnline.com can reveal, as junk from his rocket could be crashing into the moon this summer.
A discarded piece from the billionaire's SpaceX rocket is expected to make its grand finale on the moon, more than a year after it was first launched.
Crash Landing on the Moon?
One of Musk's rockets is set to crash on the moon.
Project Pluto's Bill Gray has reported that a 45-foot upper-stage booster from a Falcon 9, which was launched in January 2025 from Kennedy Space Center, is expected to hit the moon on August 5.
Gray's tracking estimates suggest the space junk, which has been identified as a 2025-010D, could crash into the moon's western edge at about 5,400 miles per hour.
The crash spot is expected to be near the Einstein crater, a formation located along the moon’s far western limb. However, it is believed that the majority of people on Earth will not be able to see the crash.
The Falcon 9 rocket was launched in January 2025.
Earlier this year, Musk made clear SpaceX is focusing on a self-growing city on the moon, claiming it could be done in less than 10 years.
"The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars," he previously wrote. The 54-year-old had been open about wanting to create a city on Mars, but has since shifted course due to the limited launch opportunities to the Red planet.
According to Musk, launch opportunities to Mars occur only once every 26 months, while trips to the moon can launch every 10 days.
"This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city," Musk said. However, this does not mean Mars is a thing of the past, as the world's richest man claimed he still sees people living on Mars in the future.
Elon Musk's Mars Dream
A booster from the Falcon 9 could hit the moon this August.
In 2025, an X user asked Musk, "What’s the timeline you have set, Elon? It sounds fascinating, and I am glad to be alive when this is happening."
"Slight chance of Starship flight to Mars crewed by Optimus in Nov/Dec next year," Musk explained. "A lot needs to go right for that. More likely, first flight without humans in ~3.5 years, next flight ~5.5 years with humans."
Musk then claimed Mars will have a "self-sustaining city in 20 to 30 years." And according to Musk, earthlings may need another planet to set up camp after Earth blows up one day.
'All Life on Mars Will Be Destroyed'
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The world's richest man has been open about wanting to have self-sustaining cities on the moon.
"Eventually, all life on Earth will be destroyed by the Sun," Musk previously predicted to Fox News host Jesse Watters in an interview. "The Sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multi-planet civilization because Earth will be incinerated."
He continued, "The fundamental fork in the road of destiny (is) that Mars is sufficiently self-sustaining and can grow by itself if the resupply ships from Earth stop coming for any reason.
"Whether that is because civilization died with a bang or a whimper."
According to NASA, the Sun will eventually run out of energy, and when that happens, it will expand into a red giant star, which could become so large that it engulfs several planets, including Earth. However, scientists believe that will happen in about 5 billion years.
