NASA’s LRO captures detailed images of the SpaceX Falcon 9 lunar impact crater, revealing fresh debris and surrounding streaks.

The SpaceX Moon impact crater, a 60-foot-wide imprint left after a Falcon 9 upper stage collided with the lunar surface on August 5, has been shown in new photos captured by NASA. The photographs, which were taken between August 11 and 12 by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), depict brilliant and dark streaks extending around the recently formed crater.

LRO Captures Detailed View of Lunar Impact

According to NASA scientists, the crater is around 60 feet (18 meters) wide and less than ten feet deep based on the length of its shadow. After launching in January of last year with Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander, which subsequently made a soft lunar landing, the Falcon Nine upper stage made it to the Moon.

Accurate timing and positioning were essential to capture the SpaceX rocket crash site on the Moon. As the lunar surface rotates beneath it, the LRO, which has been in orbit around the Moon since 2009, passes over various regions.  NASA claimed that the spacecraft had to wait six days for the target area to become visible. It also had to tilt precisely to capture photos of the location from approximately 60 miles above the Moon’s surface.

Even a 10 second timing error could have shifted the target by around 10 miles, making the imaging operation particularly challenging.

Key Highlights

  • NASA measured the lunar crater at 60 feet wide.

  • The impact site is less than 10 feet deep.

  • LRO photographed the crater from multiple viewing angles.

  • Bright and dark streaks surround the impact site.

  • Korean and NASA teams collaborated to locate it.

Bright and Dark Streaks Reveal Impact Details

The new NASA Moon crater images show contrasting material surrounding the impact. According to NASA, darker streaks are made up of rocks and surface dust that have been changed over a long time by solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite impacts. This debris was moved from roughly 1.5 feet below the lunar surface by the impact.

Brighter streaks near the crater rim consist of fresher material excavated from deeper beneath the surface. These features provide scientists with additional clues about the force and characteristics of the impact.

The crater was located through an international effort involving professional scientists and lunar enthusiasts. NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies progressively refined the rocket stage’s trajectory before sharing the estimated impact location with South Korea’s lunar team.

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, also known as Danuri, had already photographed the site on August 6. Its team later provided coordinates to NASA, helping the LRO team refine its imaging plan.

Business Fortune is of the view that NASA’s findings offer valuable insights into lunar impacts and future space exploration missions.

 

FAQs

How wide is the SpaceX Moon impact crater?

NASA estimates that the crater created by the Falcon 9 upper stage is about 60 feet (18 metres) wide.

When did the Falcon 9 upper stage hit the Moon?

The Falcon 9 upper stage collided with the lunar surface on August 5, creating the newly observed impact crater.

When did NASA’s LRO photograph the impact site?

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the crater between August 11 and 12, after waiting for the site to become visible from its orbit.

What do the bright and dark streaks around the crater indicate?

The streaks reveal different lunar materials excavated by the impact. Darker material had been exposed to space weathering, while brighter material came from deeper beneath the surface.

How was the SpaceX rocket crash site located?

Scientists refined the rocket stage’s expected trajectory, while South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter photographed the area on August 6 and provided coordinates that helped NASA locate the impact site.