NASA has released images showing a new crater on the moon, formed by the impact of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's second stage. The uncontrolled rocket collided with the lunar surface on August 5, 2026, at approximately 5,400 miles per hour (8,690 km/h).
The object, weighing approximately 9,920 pounds (4,500 kg) and measuring 39 feet (12 meters) long, is estimated to have impacted with a force equivalent to three tonnes of TNT. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured images of the resulting crater, which measures 60 feet (18 meters) wide and is surrounded by streaks of lunar rock.
According to NASA, the images reveal bright and dark rays emanating from the crater. The darker streaks are composed of surface dust and rocks altered by long-term exposure to solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite impacts, excavated from about 1.5 feet below the surface. The brighter streaks near the rim are fresher material from deeper underground.
The impact occurred near the Einstein crater on the moon's northwestern limb, which was facing the sun at the time, obscuring the initial flash from Earth. The crater's coordinates have been identified as 19.4759°N, 266.7138°E, at an elevation of 511 meters (1,676 feet). Scientists estimate the crater to be less than 10 feet (3 meters) deep.
Earlier this month, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) Danuri spacecraft also captured images of the impact site shortly after the collision. Researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía in Spain have also claimed to have recorded footage of the impact itself, detecting the plume of dust and debris ejected into space.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center in January 2025, carrying two private lunar landers. While SpaceX's primary boosters are designed for reuse, the upper stages are typically discarded. In this instance, the rocket's trajectory was altered by a combination of lunar gravity and solar weather, leading to its unintended collision with the moon. The rocket's path was initially identified by independent astronomers before being confirmed by NASA's Centre for Near–Earth Object Studies.