Particle.news
Download on the App Store
13 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

NASA Releases LRO Images of 60‑Foot Crater Made by SpaceX Falcon 9 Stage

High-resolution LRO photos confirm the new crater and give researchers real data to test impact models while drawing attention to gaps in cislunar tracking.

This is an animated before-and-after view of the crater formed after a Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon’s surface on Aug. 5, 2026. These images were taken between Aug. 11 and 12 by the Narrow-Angle Camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. These images are enlarged three times from the original, with north facing up, and they cover an area about a quarter of a mile wide.
After view of the crater formed after a Falcon 9 upper stage struck the moon’s surface on August 5. These images were taken between August 11 and 12 by the Narrow-Angle Camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Danuri's cameras captured images from before and after the impact.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket struck the moon at the light blue dot, a spot within two oval-shaped prediction zones.

Overview

  • A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon on Aug. 5, creating a roughly 60-foot (18 m) wide crater that NASA imaged and measured days later.
  • NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the site on Aug. 11–12 and calculated the crater is less than 10 feet deep with center coordinates at 19.4759°N, 266.7138°E and elevation 511 m.
  • South Korea’s Danuri orbiter provided the first post-impact pictures and sent coordinates that helped LRO point its narrow-angle camera for high-resolution follow-up.
  • Images show darker rays of weathered surface material excavated from about 1.5 feet and brighter rays of fresher subsurface material, giving scientists an empirical test of crater and ejecta models.
  • SpaceX says the hit was unintentional after long-term orbital perturbations nudged the 4‑ to 4.4‑ton upper stage into the Moon, an outcome that has renewed calls for better cislunar tracking and disposal practices.