A section of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to collide with the Moon on Aug. 5 in an unplanned impact that has drawn the attention of astronomers and space agencies. While scientists are closely tracking the event, they say the chances of seeing the collision from Earth remain slim.

The rocket stage dates back to a Falcon 9 mission launched in January 2025, when SpaceX sent two lunar landers toward the Moon. Since completing its task, the upper stage has remained in space, following a trajectory that researchers now believe will end with an impact on the Moon’s surface.

US astronomer Bill Gray, creator of the Project Pluto Guide astronomy software, first calculated the potential collision in September last year. His software, widely used by amateur and professional astronomers to track objects in space, predicts the rocket stage will strike the Moon on Aug. 5, 2026. Earlier estimates had suggested a possible impact in March before updated calculations refined the expected date.

NASA has also been monitoring the object. The agency recently discussed the expected collision during a panel organized by its Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. Lunar observer Brian Day said the Moon is constantly changing as natural impacts regularly alter its surface, making such events an important subject for scientific observation.

According to Space.com, the Falcon 9 upper stage weighs about four tonnes and is traveling at more than two kilometers per second. If it reaches the Moon as predicted, it is expected to create a fresh crater and send a cloud of dust into space.

Scientists are uncertain whether the impact will be visible from Earth. Current projections suggest the rocket stage may strike near the edge of the Moon’s visible surface. If the resulting dust plume catches sunlight at the right angle, telescopes on Earth could potentially detect it.

NASA officials, however, believe that outcome is unlikely. William Cooke, a manager at the US space agency, said it would be “very, very hard to see, if not impossible,” according to the German news agency dpa.

Researchers stress that the event poses no danger to Earth or to future lunar missions. Still, it has renewed attention on the growing amount of space debris left behind after missions.

A similar impact was recorded in 2022, when NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed a newly formed crater believed to have been caused by discarded rocket hardware. At the time, scientists suggested an old Chinese rocket stage was responsible, although China denied the claim.

Unlike deliberate crashes used in scientific experiments, the expected Aug. 5 impact was not planned. SpaceX has not publicly commented on the predicted collision.

England secured third place at the FIFA World Cup with a dramatic 6-4 victory over France in a record-breaking playoff match, as Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick and Kylian Mbappé climbed above Lionel Messi on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.

The third-place playoff, played a day before the World Cup final, delivered one of the most entertaining matches in tournament history. England raced into a commanding 4-0 lead by halftime before surviving a determined French comeback to claim their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966.

Saka opened the scoring in the 37th minute before adding a second in first-half stoppage time. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also found the net as England dominated the opening 45 minutes, leaving France with a mountain to climb after the break.

France responded with renewed energy in the second half, cutting into England’s lead through captain Kylian Mbappé, who struck twice to keep his side in contention. However, Saka completed his second international hat trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, restoring England’s advantage at a crucial stage of the contest.

Jude Bellingham sealed the victory with a goal deep into stoppage time, completing the scoring in a match that produced 10 goals and several World Cup milestones.

England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his players despite acknowledging the disappointment of missing out on the final.

“I hope that the players can be proud of that in some time,” Tuchel said after the match.

“We are fiercely competitive, so we almost don’t allow ourselves to be proud of third place because 18 months ago we set the highest goal. We set the highest dream to chase, and we were very, very ambitious with our dream to make it to the final and win the World Cup. So it’s very, very painful if you miss out.”

Although both teams admitted before kickoff that they would rather have been preparing for the championship match, the playoff produced a memorable spectacle.

The 6-4 result became the highest-scoring World Cup match since Hungary defeated El Salvador 10-1 in 1982. It also set a new record for the most goals scored in a World Cup third-place playoff.

Bellingham’s seventh goal of the tournament established a new record for the most goals scored by an England player in a single World Cup campaign.

Mbappé also achieved a significant personal milestone despite France’s defeat. His two goals took his overall World Cup tally to 22, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi on the competition’s all-time scoring chart. The French forward now leads the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi.

Messi will have one final opportunity to reduce that gap when defending champions Argentina face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Belarus has shifted the focus of irregular migration towards Latvia’s border, prompting Riga to seek additional support from neighbouring countries as the Baltic state prepares for parliamentary elections in October.

Lithuania is also considering temporary border controls to deal with a sharp increase in migrants travelling onward from Latvia after entering the European Union, adding to concerns about pressure on the bloc’s eastern frontier.

Latvian authorities say the latest increase is part of a wider campaign by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government to use migration as a political tool against the EU. Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have faced irregular crossings from Belarus for several years, but officials now say the pressure has moved increasingly towards Latvia.

The scale of the change was highlighted by border figures. Latvia, which shares a 173-kilometre frontier with Belarus, recorded 111 attempted illegal crossings in one day last week. Lithuania, whose border with Belarus stretches 679 kilometres, recorded two attempts on the same day, while Poland reported no attempted crossings the previous day.

“Today Latvia’s border has become the main target,” Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava said.

Latvian officials argue that Russia’s war against Ukraine and Belarus’ support for Moscow have increased security risks across the region. They say Minsk has facilitated migration towards EU borders to put pressure on neighbouring governments and stretch their security resources.

The latest situation has led Latvia to seek assistance from its Baltic neighbours. Lithuania has sent nine border guards and two service dogs to support patrols along the Latvian-Belarusian border. Estonia previously deployed two teams of 12 border guards to Latvia.

Officials from the three countries say cooperation is necessary because the Latvian-Belarusian frontier is also an external border of both the EU and NATO.

At the same time, Lithuania is dealing with a growing number of migrants entering the country from Latvia. Lithuanian border authorities say secondary migration has increased more than fourfold compared with the first half of last year.

The increase has prompted discussion about temporary checks on Lithuania’s border with Latvia. Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has not ruled out the measure if other steps fail to control the flow.

For now, however, Latvia says the priority is strengthening the EU’s external border rather than restricting movement between the Baltic states. Riga and Vilnius have agreed to deepen cooperation between their law enforcement agencies and increase the exchange of border personnel.

Officials in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia accuse Belarus of organising migration flows to create political pressure. They say migrants are often brought to Belarus legally before being transported towards EU borders, with some allegedly receiving assistance from Belarusian security forces.

Lithuanian officials said the nationalities of migrants have changed over time, with people arriving from countries including Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia.

Baltic authorities insist the latest migration pressure is part of a state-backed operation aimed at undermining border security and creating instability across the region.