PHOTO │ NASA has published images of the crater formed by the impact of a SpaceX rocket with the Moon

NASA has announced the release of new images of the crater formed by the impact of the upper stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Moon, an event that occurred on August 5. The images, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on August 11 and 12, show a crater with a diameter of 18 meters and a depth of under 3 meters.

Photo: Images of the crater formed by the crash of the SpaceX rocket / Source: https://science.nasa.gov/

The rocket was launched in January 2025, carrying the Blue Ghost 1 module of Firefly Aerospace. Capturing the images was a challenge, as the probe had to wait six days to capture the exact location, and precise camera orientation was essential.

The details in the images include trails of dust and altered rocks, highlighting the material excavated from a depth of 45 centimeters. Identifying the impact site involved collaboration between NASA experts and the Korean Danuri mission team, which provided the necessary coordinates for optimizing the imaging.