13m Rocket Crashes Moon

A 13-meter Falcon 9 rocket stage has struck the Moon, leaving a crater approximately 20 meters wide. The impact was tracked by University of Tasmania researchers, who used radio telescopes across Australia to monitor the rocket's journey.

The researchers, led by Ph.D. candidate Oliver White, used NASA's 70-meter antenna at Tidbinbilla, near Canberra, to send a radar signal towards the rocket body. The signal was then picked up by radio telescopes in Hobart, Ceduna, and Yarragadee in Western Australia. This allowed the team to track the rocket across nearly 400,000 kilometers of space.

The observations, which took place on July 26 and 29, revealed that the rocket was tumbling, completing a full rotation approximately every seven minutes. The data collected also showed that the rocket was slightly off its predicted position, enabling researchers to refine their estimates of where it would strike the Moon.

## What was tracked The University of Tasmania researchers played a crucial role in an international effort to observe the event. Their findings helped improve predictions of the rocket's impact location, providing valuable insights into the object's movement and position.

## Why it matters The successful tracking of the rocket stage demonstrates the importance of international collaboration and the use of advanced radar technology in monitoring objects in space. The data collected from this event will contribute to a better understanding of space debris and the potential risks it poses to future space missions.

The impact of the rocket stage on the Moon is a significant event, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and tracking of objects in space. As space agencies and private companies plan for future lunar and planetary missions, the ability to accurately track and predict the movement of space debris will become increasingly important.