South Korea space agency shares Moon images after SpaceX rocket debris crash

South Korea's space agency, KASA, has shared images of the Moon following a SpaceX rocket debris crash on Wednesday. The Korean Aerospace Administration (KASA) released images captured by lunar orbiter Danubri, showing the Moon's surface before and after the impact. The rocket debris struck the Moon at approximately 06:35 GMT, according to KASA. SpaceX clarified that the impact was unintentional.

The Falcon 9 rocket, a reusable spacecraft, was designed to allow parts of the rocket to return to Earth, while other sections disintegrate in space. The empty upper stage of this specific Falcon 9 rocket, which scientists predicted would impact the Moon at around 5,400mph (8,700km/h), is roughly the size of a five-story building and weighs about 4,000kg (630 stone) on Earth.

The brief flash created when the rocket part collided with the Moon would have been difficult for amateur astronomers to observe, even with advanced telescopes. However, larger observatories, including Seoul's KASA, are examining the data.

While the impact did not present a threat to Earth, astronomer Matt Bothwell from the University of Cambridge expressed concerns about the growing issue of space debris. As more objects are launched into space annually, he warned, "Space is getting more and more crowded." He predicted that within a few decades, the crowded space environment could make it challenging to venture beyond Earth's orbit.

The Falcon 9 in question had been orbiting since January of the previous year, when it launched from Florida. The same booster section from the January 2025 mission is scheduled to embark on its 18th flight on August 10.

The same Falcon 9 rocket had previously carried two lunar landers into space. Its mission was to propel the upper stage with sufficient force to propel both lunar landers out of Earth's orbit and onto a trajectory toward the Moon. Following the launch last January, the spent stage was propelled into a long, looping orbit that periodically swung out towards the Moon and back.

Over the next 18 months, the rocket's path was subtly influenced by the combined gravitational forces of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, along with sunlight, gradually altering its trajectory. Astronomers monitoring the rocket part eventually determined that these minor gravitational nudges had altered its course, accelerating it towards the Moon.

The impact on Wednesday occurred during daylight hours for many regions of the world, but the faint flash it produced would have been too subtle to detect, even through a telescope, for the unaided eye.