What did NASA discover about the SpaceX rocket impact crater on the moon?

NASA said the crater appears to be about 60 feet across and less than 10 feet deep. The latest images also show dark and bright streaks radiating from the impact site like butterfly wings.

When did the SpaceX rocket hit the moon and how fast was it going?

The Falcon rocket’s upper stage hit the moon on Aug. 5 after drifting through space for more than a year. NASA said it was traveling at 5,400 mph, or 8,700 kph, when it crashed.

Which spacecraft photographed the SpaceX moon impact site first?

Korea’s Danuri spacecraft was first to beam back photos of the crash scene. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later provided the sharpest views from about 60 miles up after the site came into view six days after the collision.

New images show moon crater carved by SpaceX rocket

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Summary

A NASA spacecraft circling the moon has released the sharpest images yet of the crater made by a crashing SpaceX rocket in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Falcon rocket’s upper stage hit the moon at 5,400 mph on Aug. 5 after drifting for more than a year. NASA said the fresh crater is about 60 feet across and less than 10 feet deep. The orbiter photographed the site a week after impact, while Korea’s Danuri spacecraft was first to send back photos.

Key Facts

NASA released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday.
Scientists said the new crater is about 60 feet across and less than 10 feet deep.
The Falcon rocket’s upper stage struck the moon at 5,400 mph on Aug. 5 after drifting through space for more than a year.
The impact came from a rocket that launched a pair of private moon landers and a tiny rover in 2025.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been orbiting the moon since 2009.

By AP

Published Aug 19, 2026 8:09 am KST

This photo provided by NASA, Aug. 18, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows a fresh crater on the moon created by a collision with a SpaceX rocket. AP-Yonhap

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft circling the moon is providing the sharpest views yet of the crater carved by a crashing SpaceX rocket .

The space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday.

The Falcon rocket’s upper stage plowed into the moon at 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) on Aug. 5 after drifting through space for more than a year. It launched a pair of private moon landers with experiments and even a tiny rover in 2025 as part of NASA’s push to commercialize lunar exploration.

Based on these new photos by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the fresh crater appears to be 60 feet (18 meters) across and less than 10 feet (3 meters) deep, according to scientists.

Dark and bright streaks are clearly visible emanating like butterfly wings from the crater. The darker lines represent excavated material that was close to the surface and shaped by eons of solar wind, cosmic rays and micrometeorite strikes. The brighter rays indicate fresh rocks and dirt that were hurled from farther down.

The spacecraft photographed the crater a week after the collision from 60 miles (96 kilometers) up, while zooming along at one mile per second. Flight controllers had to tilt the spacecraft so its cameras pointed toward the impact scene.

The orbiter completes a lunar polar orbit every two hours, as the moon rotates beneath. It took six days before the crash scene came into view.

Korea’s Danuri spacecraft was first on the scene to beam back photos.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been orbiting the moon since 2009, serving as NASA's up-close eyes as the space agency works to return astronauts to the lunar surface.

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