{
  "id": 2007781,
  "title": "A SpaceX rocket carved out a crater on the moon as long as a bowling lane with ‘butterfly wing’ streaks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/a-spacex-rocket-carved-out-a-crater-on-the-moon-as-long-as-a-bowling",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-19T20:01:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/19/spacex-moon-crater/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured striking images of a crater formed by a SpaceX rocket's upper stage impact on the moon's surface. The August 5th collision, traveling at 5,400 mph, left a 60-foot-wide crater with intricate \"butterfly wing\" streaks. These dark and bright lines reveal excavated material and fresh rocks and dirt, respectively. The orbiter's photos, taken a week after the event, reveal the fresh impact site from 60 miles away. South Korea's Danuri spacecraft was the first to observe the crater, while the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been studying the moon since 2009.",
  "summary": "It took six days before the crash scene came into view",
  "key_points": [
    "SpaceX rocket impact created 60-foot-wide crater on moon",
    "Butterfly wing streaks reveal excavated material and fresh rocks",
    "Danuri spacecraft first observed crater, LRO has studied moon since 2009"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}