NASA images reveal crater left by SpaceX rocket's Moon crash
NASA has released images captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter showing the 18-meter-wide crater created by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage that crashed into the Moon in August 2025. The images provide scientific insight into lunar surface composition and the impact of space debris.
Why it matters
This event highlights the growing challenges of space traffic management and the environmental impact of private space exploration on celestial bodies.
NASA has released new images of the crater caused by a SpaceX rocket slamming into the Moon earlier this month.
The photographs were captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) between August 11 and 12, and show the impact formed by a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage striking the Moon's surface on August 5.
Scientists from the US space agency determined the crater was 18 metres wide and less than 3 metres deep, based on the length of its shadow.
The Falcon 9 launched in January 2025 carrying Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander, a private mission that made a soft landing on the Moon.
These weren't the first images of the crash site. The Korean space agency published pictures on August 6 that were taken a day earlier by Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also known as Danuri.
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