Washington: NASA has released striking before-and-after images showing a fresh crater on the Moon created when the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the lunar surface.
New images reveal impact site
The rocket stage struck the Moon on August 5 at a speed of around 5,400 mph (8,700 kmph), more than a year after it was launched towards the Moon in January 2025.
Images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show the newly formed crater is approximately 60 feet (18 metres) across and less than 10 feet (3 metres) deep.
The photographs also reveal dark and bright streaks extending from the crater in a distinctive pattern. Scientists say the darker material came from the surface, while brighter rays consist of freshly exposed rocks and soil excavated from deeper layers.
Spacecraft captures detailed view
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the impact site about a week after the crash from an altitude of roughly 60 miles (96 km).
Controllers had to adjust the spacecraft’s position so its cameras could capture the impact area while travelling at nearly one mile per second.
South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft was the first to photograph the crash site.
Moon continues to reveal its secrets
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been studying the Moon since 2009 and has become an important tool for examining the lunar surface.
The new images provide scientists with an opportunity to study how impacts alter the Moon’s surface and how material beneath the lunar soil is exposed by high-speed collisions.