New NASA Images Reveal Crater Left Behind by SpaceX Rocket Impact on the Moon - Gizmodo
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured images of a crater created by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that crashed into the Moon in August 2025. The rocket had been stranded in orbit for months following a failed reentry attempt.
Why it matters
The event highlights the challenges of space debris management and the importance of tracking objects in deep space.
We just got our first look at the impact crater left by a wayward SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that struck the Moon earlier this month.
The Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the lunar surface after being stranded in a highly elliptical orbit, and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured a series of images of a new crater that formed from the impact.
The crater appears to be 60 feet wide (18 meters) and less than 10 feet deep (3 meters), according to NASA .
On January 15, 2025, a Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying a pair of commercial lunar landers. The rocket’s upper stage failed to reenter Earth’s atmosphere after separating from its payloads, and ended up stuck in a highly elliptical orbit for months.
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