SpaceX rocket stage expected to hit Moon Wednesday

A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to crash into the Moon on Wednesday at about 0635 GMT, creating a lunar crater but posing no danger to Earth, NASA said.

Scientists and amateur astronomers are preparing to watch for a plume of rubble and debris after the upper stage hits the Moon's northern hemisphere near the Einstein Crater. Researchers estimate the object weighs about 8,800 pounds, or 4,000 kilograms, if its propellant has been spent, and expect it to strike at about 5,400 miles per hour.

Benjamin Fernando of Los Alamos National Laboratory, lead author of a recent paper on the expected impact, said the brightness of the plume was uncertain, which is one reason scientists want to study the event.

NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said the agency would continue tracking the booster for training purposes and later observe the impact site for scientific purposes.

The Falcon 9 launched last January carrying two lunar landers. SpaceX said the upper stage was left in space after the booster returned to Earth and that solar activity and gravitational forces later put it on a path toward the Moon.