NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Captures New Moon Crater from SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage, which was discarded, crash-landed on the Moon on August 5, resulting in the formation of a new crater adjacent to the Einstein crater. This event marked the end of a journey that commenced with the rocket's launch in January 2025. Measuring nearly 46 feet in length and weighing 8,800 pounds, the upper stage remained in an unstable orbit for over a year before impacting the lunar surface. Following the incident, researchers and space agencies sought images of the area, with the Danuri lunar orbiter providing the first photographs. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured images of the crater on August 11 and 12, revealing it to be approximately 6 feet wide and under 10 feet deep. This occurrence adds to the Moon's catalog of impactors, showcasing the interaction of human-made space equipment with the lunar terrain.
Key facts
- SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crash-landed on the Moon on August 5.
- The rocket launched in January 2025 and completed a mission to deliver lunar landers.
- The spent rocket stage spent over a year in an unstable orbit before impact.
- First images were taken by South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter, operated by KASA.
- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the crater on August 11 and 12.
- LRO flies roughly 60 miles above the Moon at one mile per second, orbiting every two hours.
- The new crater is estimated to be about 6 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep.
- The impact site is near the Einstein crater, named for Albert Einstein.
- The Falcon 9 upper stage is almost 46 feet long and weighs 8,800 pounds.
Entities
Artists
- Elon Musk
- Albert Einstein
Institutions
- SpaceX
- NASA
- Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Intuitive Machines
Locations
- Moon
- Earth
- Sun
- Einstein crater
- Korea