South Korea’s Danuri Orbiter Captures First Images of SpaceX Rocket’s Lunar Crater
South Korea's Danuri orbiter has captured images of a crater created by a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage that impacted the Moon. The data provides researchers with a controlled example of how lunar impacts affect the Moon's surface and exosphere.
Why it matters
This event offers a rare, documented opportunity for scientists to study the physical effects of space debris impacts on the lunar surface.
South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft has captured the first before-and-after images of the crater left by a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage on the Moon. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute released the images on August 6, showing a darkened patch of terrain and material scattered around the impact site. [1]
The rocket stage hit the lunar surface at about 2:34 a.m. EDT on August 5, or 0634 GMT, near the predicted location. It was traveling at roughly 5,400 mph, and scientists had estimated that the collision could carve a crater up to 27 meters wide and about 3.6 meters deep. The released imagery confirms a fresh impact, although higher-resolution measurements are still pending. [2]
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