By Staff, Agencies

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] has released the first images of a crater created when a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage struck the Moon at around 5,400 mph [8,700 kph] earlier this month.

The US space agency published a before-and-after comparison Tuesday using images from its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, showing the previously undisturbed surface and a new dark impact scar.

NASA said the crater measures about 18 meters [60 feet] across and less than 3 meters [10 feet] deep.

The images also show bright and dark rays extending from the crater. NASA said the darker material consists of weathered lunar dust and rocks blasted from the Moon’s upper 0.46 meters, while brighter debris near the rim originated deeper underground.

The four-ton upper stage hit the Moon on August 5 after spending more than a year in space. The Falcon 9 had launched in January 2025 carrying the US Blue Ghost and Japanese Resilience lunar landers. While its reusable first stage returned to Earth, the second stage remained in orbit.

According to SpaceX, the stage had initially been placed on a trajectory considered safe under existing rules, but solar activity and gravitational forces later altered its path toward the Moon.

While natural meteoroid impacts are common, collisions involving human-made objects are rare. NASA intentionally crashed rocket stages into the Moon during the Apollo era to collect seismic data.

Meanwhile, experts warn that uncontrolled impacts could become a growing concern as lunar activity expands.

UK aerospace engineer Dean Sladen told Space.com that uncontrolled rocket stages could become a “tangible operational risk” as governments and private companies develop permanent lunar infrastructure.