NASA has released the first images of a new lunar crater created when a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crashed into the Moon on 5 August at about 8,700km/h.
Images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show an impact crater roughly 18 metres wide and less than three metres deep, surrounded by bright and dark streaks of debris thrown from different layers of the lunar surface.
The four-tonne rocket stage had been drifting through space for more than a year after launching the US Blue Ghost and Japanese Resilience lunar landers in January 2025. SpaceX said the stage was initially placed on a trajectory considered safe, but solar activity and gravitational forces eventually altered its course.
Experts warn that uncontrolled rocket debris could pose a growing risk as governments and private companies expand their presence and infrastructure around the Moon.
Spotted: Falcon 9 impact site
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured images of a new crater on the Moon. The crater formed on Aug. 5, 2026, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the lunar surface. https://t.co/aqduBYwpmg pic.twitter.com/hE83yvzmIk
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) August 18, 2026
