Before and after photos show impact of SpaceX rocket that slammed into Moon

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has provided the sharpest images yet of a crater on the Moon's surface, precisely documenting the impact of a SpaceX rocket's upper stage. The space agency released before-and-after photographs of the impact site, showcasing the newly formed crater.

The SpaceX Falcon rocket's upper stage collided with the Moon on August 5, traveling at an estimated speed of 8,700 kilometers per hour. This occurred after the stage had spent more than a year drifting through space. The LRO captured a series of images of the fresh crater between August 11 and August 12 from an altitude of 96 kilometers.

Scientists analyzing these images estimate the crater to be 18 meters in diameter and less than 3 meters deep. These measurements were determined by analyzing the length of the crater's shadow. The impact site displays distinct dark and bright streaks radiating outwards, resembling butterfly wings. The darker streaks are composed of excavated material from near the lunar surface, shaped by long-term exposure to solar wind, cosmic rays, and micro-meteorite impacts. The brighter streaks, conversely, indicate freshly exposed rocks and dirt from deeper within the lunar regolith.

To capture these detailed images, flight controllers had to maneuver the LRO spacecraft to point its cameras toward the impact scene. The orbiter, which has been circling the Moon since 2009, completed a lunar polar orbit every two hours as the Moon rotated below. Notably, South Korea's Danuri spacecraft was the first to transmit photos of the impact site.