SpaceX rocket to hit moon at 5,400 mph after drifting for year

Scientists expect valuable data to emerge when part of a discarded SpaceX rocket slams into the moon later this week. The space junk comes from the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers back in 2025 before the spacecraft was abandoned. The rocket component, weighing thousands of pounds, will be traveling at 5,400 miles per hour at the time of impact.