NASA captures photos of Moon crater caused by SpaceX rocket part
NASA released this image of the crater left on the moon by a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage in an August 5, 2026, crash. (NASA)
A newly released image shows the brand-new crater on the Moon caused by a stray upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. On Tuesday, NASA showed off the image, which was captured by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
Timeline:
The 40-plus foot rocket stage slammed into the Moon at approximately 5,400 per hour on August 5, near Einstein Crater. Hitting the surface with the force of three tons of TNT, it left behind a scar that, based on its shadows, was 60 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep.
NASA provides multiple vantage points of the crater caused by a SpaceX rocket part that crashed into the Moon on August 5, 2026. (NASA)
Big picture view:
About a week later, NASA’s LRO flew over the impact site for a look. The space agency explained the precision needed as the LRO buzzes over the Moon going one mile per second, meaning that being ten seconds early or late would put the orbiter way off-center from the spot.
The backstory:
The launch that sent the rocket section on its eventual, unintentional rendezvous with the Moon departed on January 15, 2025, and carried two pieces of equipment that were supposed to end up on the Moon.
Dig deeper:
One of the lunar landers on board, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, went on to become the first private spacecraft to successfully land on the Moon, while the other, which was made by Japan-based ispace, crashed while trying to land on the Moon.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from NASA. This story was reported from Orlando.