Rocket ‘roaming’ In Space Heading For Collision With Moon Surface

Astronomers said a rocket launched by the “SpaceX” company is heading to collide with the moon, after it has been rotating randomly in space for years, due to the loss of control over it.

According to the British newspaper, The Guardian, this missile was launched from Florida, USA, in February 2015, as part of an interplanetary mission, in order to send data about space weather over a journey of one million miles, reports Al-Rai daily

This missile has already been able to accomplish its required task after it was launched the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observatory to what is known as the “Lagrangian Point”, which is the equilibrium point between the gravitational fields of the Earth and the Moon.

As for the second stage, this missile malfunctioned, and there was no longer enough fuel in it to return to the Earth’s atmosphere, and there was no longer enough energy in it also to be able to escape from the gravity of the Earth and the Moon.

And space scientist Eric Bergé explains that when these factors combine, the rocket has been chasing a random path in space for years.

Experts estimate the weight of this rocket at four metric tons, which is known as “space junk,” and it is said that it is on the way to colliding with the moon at a speed of 2.58 kilometers per second, within weeks.

Researcher Bill Gray, an expert in observing space objects, said that the upper platform of the “Falcon 9” rocket may collide with the remote part of the moon on the fourth of next March.

Gray added that this expected collision will be the first time that space debris collides with the surface of the moon, adding that we will not be able to monitor this accident from planet Earth.

 

 

 

SOURCE  TIMESKUWAIT

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