NASA images reveal 60-foot-wide crater on moon left by SpaceX rocket
The SpaceX rocket fragment hit the moon at several times the speed of sound on August 5
On August 5, a fragment of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the moon at over 5,400 miles per hour, shattering the space rock and creating a new crater. Astronomers had predicted a debris plume and subsequent crater formation, and now NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has confirmed the damage. The 60-foot-wide crater, less than 10 feet deep, is visible in images taken by the LRO from around 60 miles above the lunar surface.
Bright rays emanating from the crater's rim likely consist of material blasted from the moon's interior by the impact. While other telescopes, including the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and a South Korean lunar orbiter, also detected the crash and its aftermath, the LRO provided the first visual confirmation.
The Falcon 9 upper stage, weighing four metric tons, was intended to burn up in Earth's atmosphere after launching lunar landers in January 2025. However, the vehicle entered orbit around Earth, destined for collision with the moon. NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network monitor space junk, but the majority of particles are too small for tracking.
Space enthusiasts rely on amateur astronomers like Bill Gray to spot such fragments, as was the case with this SpaceX rocket.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
