Here Are the First Images of the Crater Left on the Moon by SpaceX's Rocket
Overview
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has released new orbital imagery showing the impact scar left behind by a spent rocket body that struck the far side of the Moon. According to KARI, the resulting gash in the lunar surface is small, consistent with earlier low-resolution detections that first hinted at the impact years ago. The new pictures give researchers and space watchers their clearest look yet at the site.
Background: A Rocket Body Lost in Space
The story traces back to a defunct rocket stage that had been drifting through cislunar space for years before finally colliding with the Moon. Objects like this — discarded upper stages from past launches — are notoriously hard to track once they run out of fuel and lose active communication. Astronomers rely on ground-based telescopes to spot sunlight glinting off tumbling debris, then calculate trajectories months or years in advance to predict where and when an impact might occur.
Why Identification Became Controversial
When the object was first flagged as being on a collision course with the Moon, independent trackers initially attributed it to a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage. That identification was later disputed by other observers, who argued the object's orbital characteristics better matched a rocket stage from a different launch provider entirely. The disagreement highlighted a broader problem: there is no single, reliable public registry that definitively identifies every piece of derelict hardware orbiting near the Moon, leaving room for competing analyses even after impact.
What the New Images Show
KARI's release shows the elongated gash carved into the lunar regolith at the moment of impact. Unlike a typical meteorite strike, which produces a roughly circular crater, rocket body impacts tend to leave irregular, stretched-out marks because the object arrives tumbling rather than falling straight down. KARI describes the scar as comparatively small, which aligns with what scientists expect from a hollow, lightweight rocket stage rather than a dense natural object of similar size.
Why This Matters
Documenting lunar impact sites isn't just a curiosity — it helps scientists refine models of how objects behave when they hit the airless lunar surface, informs future spacecraft landing-site safety assessments, and adds pressure on the space industry to improve end-of-life disposal planning for upper stages. As lunar traffic increases with new national and commercial missions, incidents like this are likely to become more common, making tracking and attribution tools increasingly important.
FAQ
Did this crater pose any danger to future missions? No — the site is isolated and does not currently sit near planned landing zones.
Why did it take so long to get images? Imaging a specific small feature on the Moon requires an orbiter to pass directly overhead with adequate lighting and camera resolution, which doesn't happen on demand.
Is this the only rocket-caused crater on the Moon? No — several rocket stages and spent landers have intentionally or accidentally struck the lunar surface over decades of exploration, though most are not photographed in detail.
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Source
Originally published at www.wired.com.