SpaceX moon impact video is animation, not real footage

Spectacular footage circulating online, purportedly showing a SpaceX rocket crashing into the moon, has been identified as an animation, not authentic recordings. The video, which gained significant traction on platforms like TikTok, was shared with claims of depicting the impact of an abandoned SpaceX rocket.

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You would not see that booster so clearly, it is too small.

However, multiple experts have pointed out inconsistencies that reveal the footage's artificial nature. According to Johan De Keyser, a researcher at the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, the approximately 14-meter-long second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket is "far too clearly visible" in the clip. He explained that the booster would not appear so bright due to its size.

Astronomer Bart Vandenbussche from KU Leuven confirmed that while "before and after" photos of the impact site exist, captured by a Korean satellite, there are no actual video recordings of the impact itself. He elaborated that satellites mapping the moon do not operate at a high enough frame rate or resolution to film such a dynamic event as a video. "These satellites take an image every few minutes. You cannot make a video with fluid movement with that," Vandenbussche stated.

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There are images, but they are before and after images of the impact. It is a rather vague image made by a Korean satellite that is in orbit around the moon.

Adding to the debunking, Elon Musk himself confirmed the video's inauthenticity. The animation appears to have originated from a Facebook page called "Moon Watchers Club," where similar "inspired by real events" videos are posted. The page shared an identical video on March 12, with slight modifications, suggesting it predates the August 4th impact and is therefore not a depiction of the actual event.

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These satellites take an image every few minutes. You cannot make a video with fluid movement with that.