SpaceX Falcon 9 Crash Site on Moon Captured by South Korea's Danuri Orbiter
On August 5, 2026, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) unveiled images depicting the crater formed by the impact of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage on the Moon. Traveling at a speed of around 5,400 mph, the four-ton rocket fragment created a crater estimated to be several feet wide and nearly 12 feet deep. This fragment had been in an erratic orbit since its launch in January 2025, intended for lunar lander delivery. Located near the Einstein crater, named after Albert Einstein, the collision site was photographed by the Danuri lunar orbiter, managed by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), from about 62 miles above. KARI shared these images on X (formerly Twitter) and cautioned that videos on social media claiming to depict the impact are false. Further detailed images from a NASA lunar orbiter are anticipated soon.
Key facts
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket upper stage crashed into the Moon on August 5, 2026.
- Impact speed was approximately 5,400 mph.
- The rocket fragment weighed about four tons and was nearly 46 feet long.
- The crash created a crater estimated to be dozens of feet wide and nearly 12 feet deep.
- The impact site is near the Einstein crater on the Moon's visible side.
- Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter captured before-and-after images of the site.
- KARI released the images on X (formerly Twitter).
- KASA warned that social media videos claiming to show the impact are fake.
- The rocket launched in January 2025 to deliver lunar landers.
- NASA lunar orbiter images are expected to provide more detail.
Entities
Institutions
- SpaceX
- Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)
- Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)
- NASA
- New Scientist
Locations
- Moon
- Einstein crater
- South Korea