Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by SpaceX rocket that slammed into moon
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured high-resolution images of a crater created by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage that crashed into the moon in August 2026. The images reveal details about the impact site and the lunar surface composition.
Why it matters
This event underscores the risks and environmental impacts associated with the increasing commercialization of space exploration.
A composite of satellite images shows the surface of the moon before (left), October 1, 2015, and after the crash (right) of the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched from Firefly Aerospace towards the moon in January 2025, August 5, 2026
A NASA spacecraft circling the moon is providing the sharpest views yet of the crater carved by a crashing SpaceX rocket.
The space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday.
The Falcon rocket's upper stage plowed into the moon at 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) on Aug. 5 after drifting through space for more than a year. It launched a pair of private moon landers with experiments and even a tiny rover in 2025 as part of NASA's push to commercialize lunar exploration.
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