NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of a new crater on the Moon formed by a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crash earlier in August.
The crash site appeared in images taken August 11–12
The rocket stage struck the lunar surface on August 5, with the orbiter’s cameras documenting the damage six days later. It had launched in January 2025 as part of the Firefly Blue Ghost 1 mission.
Operators adjusted the orbiter’s angle so its Narrow Angle Camera could focus on the impact zone while the spacecraft traveled 60 miles above the Moon at about one mile per second. The Moon’s slow rotation beneath the orbiter’s polar orbit required waiting until the site came into view.
Precise timing was essential. A photograph taken just 10 seconds earlier or later would have missed the crater by roughly 10 miles.
Scientists measured the crater at 60 feet wide and under 10 feet deep
The orbiter captured images from various angles and lighting conditions. The sharpest photos revealed the crater’s rim, while shadows helped estimate its depth.
The camera can resolve features as small as three feet, making even minor details visible. Bright and dark streaks extend from the crater, showing material thrown out by the impact.
The darker streaks consist of lunar dust and rocks altered by solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorites over time. The collision uncovered this weathered layer, previously buried up to 1.5 feet below the surface. Closer to the rim, brighter streaks expose fresher material from deeper underground.
Such exposures are uncommon, and researchers examine them to learn how the Moon’s surface evolves over billions of years. These findings contribute to understanding the flow of information in planetary geology.
An international effort identified the crater’s location
Amateur astronomers initially tracked the rocket’s path using public data. NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, which tracks potential Earth threats, used the event to test its impact prediction models.
After refining calculations, the center located the expected impact site. The results were shared with South Korea’s Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter team, which photographed the crater using its high-resolution LUTI camera.
The observation confirmed NASA’s prediction was accurate within about 0.6 miles. South Korea’s team later provided the crater’s coordinates to NASA, allowing the LRO team to improve its targeting.
By comparing before-and-after images, scientists determined the crater’s center at 19.4759°N, 266.7138°E, at an elevation of 511 meters.
Though rocket stages have struck the Moon before, this incident provided a unique opportunity to study the immediate effects and strengthen international collaboration in tracking lunar impacts.
