AI Generated Image
New images show moon crater carved by SpaceX rocket
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured the sharpest images yet of the crater formed by a SpaceX Falcon rocket's upper stage crashing into the moon at 5,400 mph on August 5.
- The impact crater measures approximately 60 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep, with visible dark and bright streaks indicating excavated surface material and fresh debris from deeper layers.
- The Falcon rocket had been drifting in space for over a year after launching private moon landers and a rover in 2025, part of NASA's efforts to commercialize lunar exploration.
- The orbiter photographed the crater from 60 miles above the lunar surface a week after impact, requiring spacecraft adjustments to capture the site, which became visible after six days due to the moon's rotation.
- South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft was the first to send back images of the crash, while NASA’s orbiter, operational since 2009, continues to support lunar exploration and future astronaut missions.
