It was a coincidence, but it will create some chaos. NASA has chosen SpaceX, Elon Musk's rocket company, to transport astronauts back to the moon in the future. However, in the meantime, an upper stage of a SpaceX rocket launched seven years ago is expected to collide with the moon on March 4th, according to amateur astronomers' recent observations and calculations. The impact is projected for 7:25 am Eastern time, with some uncertainty remaining about the exact time and location. Bill Gray, creator of Project Pluto, software for tracking celestial bodies, stated that the rocket fragment will definitely hit the moon. Gray stated that there is a high probability that a predicted object will collide within a few minutes and likely within a few kilometers. Throughout the Space Age, various man-made objects have ventured into the solar system, with some not expected to return. This includes Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster launched into orbit passing Mars in 2018. However, there are instances where these objects circle back, such as a mystery object discovered in 2020 that was part of a rocket launched in 1966 during NASA's Surveyor missions to the moon. Gray has been monitoring a specific piece of SpaceX debris that assisted in launching the Deep Space Climate Observatory for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on February 11, 2015. The observatory known as DSCOVR, which was originally named Triana and championed by Al Gore, is now located about 1 million miles from Earth. It serves as an early warning system for solar storms by monitoring energetic particles from the sun. DSCOVR now regularly captures images of Earth from space, including moments when the moon passes in front of the planet. Typically, the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket is intentionally pushed back into Earth's atmosphere after delivering its payload to avoid adding clutter to space. The upper stage of the rocket used all its propellant to launch DSCOVR into a high orbit around Earth, potentially leading to a future collision. The motion of the Falcon 9 stage is influenced by gravity from Earth, the moon, and the sun, as well as pressure from sunlight. While debris in low-Earth orbit is closely monitored, more distant objects like the DSCOVR rocket are often overlooked. Gray claimed to be the only person tracking these objects. Many spacecraft have crashed on the moon, but this is the first time an object not intended for the moon will end up there. On January 5, a rocket stage passed close to the moon, causing its trajectory to potentially intersect with the moon later on. Amateur astronomers, including Peter Birtwhistle from London, were asked to observe the object as it passed by Earth in January. The large 16-inch telescope in his garden, known as the Great Shefford Observatory, was aimed at the section of the sky where the rocket stage quickly passed by. Birtwhistle noted the speed at which it was moving and made observations that helped determine its trajectory, allowing for a prediction of an impact. Astronomers will have an opportunity for a final observation before the rocket stage travels beyond the moon for the last time. It is expected to collide with the far side of the moon, where it will be out of view from Earth. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will not witness the impact as it happens, but will fly over the expected impact location later to capture images of the newly formed crater. Mark Robinson, a professor at Arizona State University and the principal investigator for the Orbiter's camera, estimated that a 4-ton metal object traveling at a speed of 5,700 mph will create a crater 10 to 20 meters wide, providing scientists with a glimpse beneath the moon's surface. Unlike meteor strikes, the size and timing of this impact are known. India's Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, also orbiting the moon, may also be able to photograph the impact site. Other spacecraft that are on their way to the moon this year may have the opportunity to observe the impact location, unless they too accidentally create new craters.