NASA chief, Musk associate Isaacman dismisses SpaceX rocket crash on Moon as 'not a big deal'

SpaceX Rocket Crashes Into Moon; NASA Chief Downplays Incident

A stray SpaceX rocket stage crashed into the moon Wednesday morning, reportedly striking with the force of three tons of TNT. The impact kicked up a large cloud of dust and left a new crater on the lunar surface, according to The Independent. Images of the crash may take days to arrive from ground-based telescopes and satellites orbiting the moon.

The rocket was part of a Falcon 9 spacecraft that had carried a lunar lander to the moon last January.

When asked about the explosion on Fox News, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman dismissed concerns, noting that SpaceX had successfully recovered 600 of its rockets in other cases. He characterized the incident as insignificant in terms of space debris.

"It's very infrequent to have things like the Falcon 9 second stage crash into the moon," Isaacman said. "It's not a big deal right now, the moon has clearly seen better days."

Isaacman then shifted focus, arguing that once reusable rockets are ready, they would land on the moon to help "contribute to the city block you're trying to build on the surface."

Isaacman has a close business relationship with Elon Musk, having financed past SpaceX missions. He supports Musk and President Trump's ambitions to build a lunar base. Critics note that if major problems arose from spacecraft crashing into the moon, Isaacman would be unlikely to harm his own position or damage Musk's reputation by disclosing concerns in a public interview.

Space debris is a growing problem due to increased rocket launches and could become a major issue if critical satellites are damaged. If more SpaceX rockets veer out of control, Musk's moon base plans could face significant obstacles.

Trump Seeks Emergency Order to Block BBC from Accessing Financial Records

President Trump on Wednesday filed an emergency motion to prevent the British Broadcasting Corporation from gaining broad access to intimate details about his finances.

The emergency stay is the latest development in Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, triggered by a 2024 episode of Panorama titled "Trump, a Second Chance." The lawsuit appears to be backfiring. Last month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett allowed the BBC to proceed with accessing financial information from at least 400 business entities owned by Trump's family trust. Lett set a Thursday deadline for the BBC to obtain the records.

Trump is now scrambling to prevent the situation from escalating.

"The BBC's motive could not be more transparent—to wrongly exploit this litigation for its own political benefit, as well as the benefit of President Trump's other political opponents," the filing read. "The moment those records reach the BBC, the injury is complete and irreversible." His lawyers also accused the BBC of having "clearly political motivations."

Trump's legal team is asking Lett to allow Trump to revise the language of the lawsuit so that his lucrative business dealings as president are not subject to public scrutiny.

The BBC has not yet responded.

Observers note that Trump may have taken on more than he can handle. If his request to change the discovery parameters fails, he may drop the lawsuit entirely.

Acting Attorney General Warns on U.S. Attorney Firings

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche delivered a chilling message to U.S. attorneys across the country during a press conference Wednesday.

A reporter asked Blanche whether he stood by D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's decision to drop four vandalism cases involving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and what message it would send if President Trump fired Pirro because she determined there was insufficient evidence to charge those individuals.

"Hypothetically, if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, it turns out he's allowed to..."