SpaceX rocket's impact crater on the moon spied by Korean lunar orbiter (photos)
South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter has spied the crater that a SpaceX rocket blasted out when it slammed into the moon on Wednesday morning (Aug. 5).
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, Danuri, has captured images of a crater left by SpaceX's Falcon 9 upper stage that crashed into the moon on August 5. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) announced that Danuri conducted eight imaging sessions around the impact site, confirming changes in terrain and traces of ejecta.
The Falcon 9 upper stage, weighing 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms), remained in Earth orbit until it collided with the moon due to solar activity and gravitational forces. With a speed of around 5,400 mph (8,690 kph), the impact created a crater up to 89 feet (27 meters) wide. This observation by Danuri, alongside future data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will aid in verifying predictions.
Astronomers in Spain claim to have recorded the impact via video, showing the ejection of material from the lunar surface.
Written by urgent.news from Space.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written; read the original for the full account.
