It has been revealed that the entity responsible for potentially creating a crater on the lunar surface is not Elon Musk's SpaceX, as previously reported by various sources such as The New York Times. Instead, it is believed to be a fragment of a rocket launched by China's space agency. Bill Gray, the creator of Project Pluto software used for astronomical calculations, announced last month that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage was on a trajectory that could intersect with the moon's path. This rocket had launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in February 2015. Gray had been monitoring this rocket fragment for years, and in January, it came within 6,000 miles of the moon's surface, with the moon's gravity potentially causing it to crash on a subsequent orbit. Reports from amateur astronomers who witnessed the object passing Earth once again confirmed an impending impact inside Hertzsprung, a 315-mile-wide crater. However, a recent email from Jon Giorgini, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, provided new information. Giorgini oversees Horizons, an online database that can track the locations and orbits of nearly 1.2 million objects in the solar system, including around 200 spacecraft. After a user of Horizons inquired about the object possibly being part of the DSCOVR rocket, Giorgini decided to further investigate the situation. He discovered that the orbit did not match the trajectory of DSCOVR and reached out to Gray. Gray's first reaction was confidence in his calculations, but he reviewed old emails to recall when the object was first observed in March 2015, shortly after DSCOVR's launch. Most new objects observed in space are typically asteroids, and this object was initially assumed to be one as well, designated as WE0913A. However, it was discovered that WE0913A was circling around Earth instead of the sun, indicating that it likely originated from Earth. Gray suggested that it could be a part of the rocket that launched DSCOVR, and further data showed that WE0913A passed the moon two days after DSCOVR's launch, confirming the identification. Gray now acknowledges his mistake in assuming that DSCOVR was on a trajectory towards the moon, using its gravity to propel the spacecraft to its final destination around 1 million miles from Earth, where it monitors solar storms. Giorgini clarified that DSCOVR was actually launched on a direct path that did not involve passing by the moon. "I truly regret not reviewing that before releasing my January announcement," Gray stated. "However, once Jon Giorgini brought it to my attention, it was evident that I had made a mistake." SpaceX did not comment on the matter, but they likely have not been monitoring the rocket stage WE0913A. Typically, the second stage of a Falcon 9 is directed back into the atmosphere to be destroyed. However, in this instance, the rocket required all of its propellant to successfully deliver DSCOVR to its faraway destination. However, the unpowered and uncontrolled second stage of the rocket was in an orbit that was not likely to pose a threat to any satellites, and it was probably not being monitored by people. Gray expressed a desire for more transparency from those launching boosters into high orbits, suggesting that they should disclose what they are putting up there and where they are going. Gray then investigated other recent launches, particularly those aimed at the moon, but found limited information in that category. The leading candidate for the top position was a Long March 3C rocket which carried China's Chang'e-5 T1 spacecraft on October 23, 2014. The spacecraft circled the moon before returning to Earth, releasing a small return capsule that landed in Mongolia. This test was in preparation for the successful Chang'e-5 mission in 2020, which collected moon rocks and dust for study on Earth. A computer simulation of the orbit of WE0913A suggested a close lunar flyby on October 28, just five days after the Chinese launch. Additionally, orbital data from a cubesat attached to the third stage of the Long March rocket closely matched WE0913A. "It is the type of case that would likely result in a conviction if taken to a jury." Additional observations this month have slightly adjusted the timing and location of the predicted impact of the object striking the moon. According to Christophe Demeautis, an amateur astronomer in northeast France, it appears to be the same object and there is still no chance of it missing the moon. The collision is expected to occur at around 7:26 am Eastern time, but will not be visible from Earth's telescopes and satellites as it will happen on the far side of the moon. The location of the Falcon 9 part, specifically the DSCOVR second stage, is still being investigated according to Gray. The most likely scenario is that the object ended up in orbit around the sun rather than the Earth, and it may still be out there. This would make it currently out of sight. There have been previous instances of parts of old rockets reappearing, such as in 2020 when a mystery object was found to be from a rocket launched in 1966 for NASA's Surveyor missions to the moon.