NASA has released before-and-after images of a 60-foot-wide crater on the moon, created when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster crashed into the lunar surface on August 5 at an estimated 5,400 mph. The impact occurred on the moon’s western edge, leaving a distinct divot in the terrain, as documented by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on August 11 and 12.
The 10,800-pound booster, which had launched two private moon landers in January 2025, drifted in space for over a year before its uncontrolled collision. The crash site was identified by tracking the rocket’s trajectory, though the LRO required six days to align with the impact zone due to its polar orbit and the moon’s rotation. The orbiter, traveling at 1 mile per second, had to tilt its cameras to capture the crater from 60 miles above the lunar surface.
Scientists estimate the crater is less than 10 feet deep, with bright and dark streaks radiating outward. The darker streaks consist of surface material kicked up by the collision, while the brighter rays indicate deeper excavated debris. NASA noted that the surface material had been shaped by solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite strikes over time.
The SpaceX booster was part of a mission to launch private lunar landers, including experiments and a small rover, as part of NASA’s broader effort to commercialize lunar exploration. The incident marks one of the few artificial impacts on the moon, as most collisions are natural, such as meteoroid strikes. The force of the impact was compared to nearly 3 tons of TNT, though the moon’s lack of atmosphere prevented any visible explosion.
NASA’s LRO continues to monitor the crash site, providing data that could offer insights into the moon’s surface composition and the effects of high-velocity impacts. The images serve as a rare opportunity to study the immediate aftermath of an artificial lunar collision, which may help inform future missions and debris management in cislunar space.