NASA captures images of 60-foot crater from SpaceX rocket impact on moon

A NASA spacecraft orbiting the moon has provided the clearest views to date of the impact site created when a SpaceX Falcon rocket's upper stage struck the lunar surface at 5,400 mph on August 5. The spacecraft, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, captured before-and-after photographs that were released on Tuesday, documenting the crater carved by the collision.

Based on the orbital imagery, scientists determined the fresh crater measures approximately 60 feet across and less than 10 feet deep. The impact occurred after the rocket's upper stage drifted through space for more than a year following its launch, which had carried a pair of private moon landers equipped with various experiments and a miniature rover as part of NASA's initiative to expand commercial lunar exploration.

The photographs reveal striking visual features surrounding the impact point. Dark and bright streaks emanate from the crater in a pattern resembling butterfly wings, each indicating different material compositions. The darker lines consist of excavated material that resided near the surface and has been shaped over eons by solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite bombardment. The brighter rays, by contrast, represent freshly exposed rocks and soil that were ejected outward by the force of impact.

The detailed imagery demonstrates the capability of orbital monitoring systems to document even relatively recent impact events on the lunar surface, providing scientists with valuable data about the moon's geology and the effects of high-velocity collisions.