Kathmandu— South Korea's Korean Aerospace Administration (KASA) has shared images of the Moon following an accidental crash of SpaceX rocket debris. The lunar orbiter Danuri captured these images, which show both before and after views of the impact site that occurred at around 06:35 GMT on Wednesday.
Rocket Debris Impact Details
The empty upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket struck the Moon's surface, traveling at approximately 5,400 mph (8,700 km/h). The debris, which weighs about 4,000 kg and is roughly the size of a five-story building, was part of a mission launched from Florida in January last year. SpaceX has stated that the impact was unintentional.
Observations and Analysis
The Korean Aerospace Administration (KASA) captured images of the Moon before and after the crash using its lunar orbiter Danuri. The short, dramatic flash created by the impact would have been difficult to observe with amateur telescopes but was analyzed by larger observatories like those in Seoul.
Concerns About Space Debris
Matt Bothwell, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, expressed concerns about space debris. He noted that space is becoming increasingly crowded as more objects are launched into orbit each year. This could potentially make it difficult to navigate beyond Earth's orbit in a few decades due to the accumulation of debris.
(With inputs from BBC News)
Originally published on abcnews.com.np.
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