No binding rules govern cislunar upper-stage disposal as commercial lunar missions scale up

A four-ton Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon on August 5, 2026, after 19 months of untracked cislunar orbit — SpaceX cited insufficient residual propellant for controlled disposal on lunar transfer missions. No binding international norms govern post-mission disposal of upper stages in cislunar space, unlike the debris mitigation guidelines that apply in low Earth orbit. With commercial lunar delivery cadence rising under NASA's CLPS program, that gap is widening.