NASA releases detailed photos of unusual crater caused by SpaceX rocket on the Moon
The North American Space Agency (NASA) recently revealed images of a peculiar double impact crater on the surface of the Moon, formed by a SpaceX rocket stage. The photographs were captured by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) space probe and offer an in-depth look at the effects of man-made objects hitting Earth’s natural satellite.
Images show peculiar shape of the lunar crater
Spotted: Falcon 9 impact site
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) August 18, 2026
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured images of a new crater on the Moon. The crater formed on Aug. 5, 2026, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the lunar surface. https://t.co/aqduBYwpmg pic.twitter.com/hE83yvzmIk
The photos released by NASA show two overlapping craters, one measuring around 18 meters in diameter and the other measuring 16 meters. This double impact shape is atypical for lunar craters formed by space rocks, which typically create circular cavities. The shape suggests that the rocket did not break up on impact, but remained with its two large masses — one at each end — reaching the lunar surface.
Unexpected origin of SpaceX space debris
The object responsible for the crater was the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched in February 2015. Its mission was to take the DSCOVR climate observation satellite into orbit, around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. After fulfilling its function, the rocket was left adrift in space, without enough propulsion to return to the Earth’s atmosphere or energy to escape the Moon’s gravity. Scientists have been following its trajectory since then, predicting a collision with the Moon in March 2022. This event is considered the first unintentional lunar impact by a known rocket.
Researchers analyze the impact and its implications
The peculiarity of the double crater provides important clues about the construction of the rocket and how it behaved when reaching the Moon. Typically, most of the mass of a rocket stage is concentrated in the engine part, while the rest of the structure is an empty fuel tank. The detection of the two craters suggests that the rocket maintained its integrity before the collision, and the massive ends impacted the lunar soil almost simultaneously. This observation is valuable for astrodynamics and the study of space debris.
Differences between intentional and accidental impacts on the Moon
Falcon 9’s crater discovery differs from other monitored lunar impacts. NASA, for example, carried out the LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission in 2009, where a rocket stage was deliberately thrown into a polar crater on the Moon to analyze the material and look for frozen water. In the case of SpaceX, the impact was neither planned nor controlled, reinforcing the need for better tracking of space debris that can interact with celestial bodies.
Importance of monitoring space debris
This incident highlights the growing importance of monitoring the growing volume of space debris in our solar system. As more space missions are launched, the risk of unplanned collisions increases, both in Earth orbit and with other celestial bodies. Analyzing impacts like the SpaceX rocket on the Moon helps scientists refine trajectory models and better understand the behavior of disused objects in the space environment.
