On 5 August 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 higher stage rocket smashed into the Moon – and NASA has simply launched pictures of the aftermath.
The photographs had been captured between 11 and 12 August 2026 by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting the Moon since 2009.
They present earlier than and after views of the lunar floor, indicating the situation and dimension of the crater attributable to the Falcon 9 impacting the Moon.
Why did the Falcon 9 hit the Moon?
The Falcon 9 rocket launched in January 2025 on a mission to take two business lunar landers – Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 and ispace’s RESILIENCE – to the Moon.
Each landers had been efficiently delivered to the Moon by the Falcon 9 higher stage, however whereas the Blue Ghost 1 lander made a profitable delicate touchdown, RESILIENCE as a substitute crashed into the lunar floor.
In the midst of delivering the landers to the Moon, the Falcon 9’s gasoline reserves had been used up.
Usually, SpaceX makes an attempt to information empty rocket phases again into Earth’s environment to allow them to dissipate on re-entry.
However on this case, pre-planned stabilisation manoeuvres failed, leaving the Falcon 9 higher stage abandonded in a high-Earth orbit.
Over time, the Falcon 9’s orbit was destabilised and was unintentionally nudged on a collision course with the Moon.
LRO captures the aftermath
NASA engineers tilted the Lunar Reconnaissance spacecraft so its cameras would level to the place the anticipated affect web site can be.
A picture exhibiting the anticipated affect web site with the precise affect web site (see beneath) reveals simply how precisely scientists are capable of pinpoint the trajectory even of destabilised rocket phases like this Falcon 9.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s digital camera captured pictures of the positioning because it handed by 100km (60 miles) above the floor, at a pace of 1.6 km per second (1 mile per second).
The LRO spacecraft orbits the Moon from pole to pole each two hours. All of the whereas, the Moon is rotating beneath it.
That meant the orbiter needed to wait till the specified location rotated into view. On this case, it took six days, in keeping with NASA.
NASA says if the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s digital camera had been even 10 seconds too early or too late, the goal might have been off-centre by 16km (10 miles).
Crater captured
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has supplied scientists again on Earth with views of the Falcon 9 lunar crater from a wide range of viewing angles, which means they’ve been capable of see it underneath a number of lighting circumstances, revealing numerous options.
This has enabled scientists to measure its width as 18 metres (60 ft) and its depth to be lower than 3 metres (10 ft), the latter primarily based on the size of its shadow.
Pictures additionally reveal vibrant and darkish rays stretching outwards from the crater.
Such lunar rays will be seen everywhere in the Moon, because of historical impacts which have occurred all through the Moon’s historical past.
NASA says darker streaks are product of floor mud and rocks which were altered over time by radiation from the Solar, in addition to cosmic rays from deep house.
This historical materials was excavated by the collision of the Falcon 9 into the lunar surdace.
Brighter streaks close to the crater rim are recent materials excavated from deeper underground.
How they did it
NASA says finding and imaging the Falcon 9 crater on the Moon was a coordinated effort between consultants and beginner hobbyists.
Impartial astronomers had recognized the rocket’s trajectory utilizing open information.
Then NASA’s Middle for Close to Earth Object Research used the challenge to check instruments and strategies it makes use of to foretell impacts.
The Middle calculated the trajectory of the Falcon 9 and ultimately recognized the situation of affect, then supplied that information to the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (Danuri) crew.
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, or Danuri, launched in 2022 and remains to be orbiting the Moon and gathering information.
As soon as the trajectory of the Falcon 9 had been calculated, the Danuri spacecraft’s digital camera was used to seize a picture of the crater.
NASA says the anticipated crash web site was correct to about 1km (0.6 miles).
