SpaceX rocket not crashing into moon next month, but this will, report says
(courtesy: NOAA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A rocket that is expected to crash into the moon next month does not belong to SpaceX, according to a report on Saturday.
Researcher Bill Gray made the correction to his blog over the weekend after a NASA engineer reportedly questioned his claim, FOX News reports.
Gray had reported that a SpaceX rocket booster that launched in February 2015 from Cape Canaveral was hurtling through space on a collision course toward the moon. The impact was forecast to happen on March 4.
"If this were a rock, I'd be 100% certain," Gray said about how confident he is that the collision will happen.
DOWNLOAD: FOX 35 NEWS APP | FOX 35 STORM TEAM WEATHER APP
SUBSCRIBE: FOX 35 NEWSLETTER | FOX 35 Orlando on YouTube
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
He said he checked his data and said there is "good evidence" that the object is a Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 rocket stage that was launched in October 2014. However, he does believe the object will "still hit the moon within a few kilometers of the predicted spot on 2022 March 4 at 12:25 UTC, within a few seconds of the predicted time."
MORE NEWS: Billionaire who flew SpaceX last year going back into orbit
Gray is the developer of the astronomical software called Project Pluto.
Mark Robinson, a professor of earth and space exploration at Arizona State University, told the New York Times earlier this month that the object, which was believed to weigh about four tons and traveling a 5,700 mph, would create a crater about 65 feet in diameter.
FOX News contributed to this report.
Click here for the latest Central Florida news, Florida stories and local headlines.