Here Are the First Images of the Crater Left on the Moon by SpaceX’s Rocket

Images captured by South Korea's lunar orbiter show the crater left by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket on the moon. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) shared the first photographs taken by its satellite, Danuri, shortly after the impact occurred. The images reveal signs of a recent collision, confirming astronomers' projections that the event would create a crater roughly 3.6 meters deep and several feet wide.

This discovery adds to observations made by the Very Large Telescope, which detected sodium and lithium rising from the lunar surface, verifying the rocket fragment's impact. Astronomers had accurately predicted the timing and location of the Falcon 9's crash, which happened after the rocket had been in an unstable orbit for over a year.

Despite efforts to predict the collision, days before the impact, space agencies like NASA warned that observing the moment would be challenging due to weather conditions and timing. While higher-resolution images may become available, a detailed view of the crater is unlikely. The moon's diameter is approximately 2,160 miles, making the crater relatively small in comparison.

The Falcon 9's descent was due to its trajectory being altered over time by solar activity and gravity, eventually leading to a controlled deorbiting that missed the target and crashed into the lunar surface. SpaceX is actively working to ensure responsible disposal of hardware in space, particularly for complex missions like this one.