Kathmandu— NASA has released images documenting a new crater on the Moon created when a four-ton upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket impacted the lunar surface at roughly 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) on August 5. The rocket stage, which launched in January 2025 carrying the US Blue Ghost and Japanese Resilience lunar landers, had been drifting through space for over a year after its reusable first-stage booster returned to Earth. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured before-and-after images of the impact site, revealing both the crater itself and radiating debris.

Impact Details Revealed

The resulting crater measures approximately 18 meters (60 feet) in diameter and less than 3 meters (10 feet) deep. NASA’s analysis of the images shows bright and dark rays extending outward from the impact point, indicating material ejected during the collision. Darker streaks are composed of weathered lunar dust and rocks from the upper 1.5 ft (0.46 m) of the surface, altered by solar wind and cosmic radiation, while brighter debris originated from deeper underground.

Unplanned Impacts and Future Concerns

While the Moon is frequently hit by natural meteoroids, collisions with human-made objects are less common. NASA intentionally crashed rocket stages into the lunar surface during the Apollo program to gather seismic data. However, experts now suggest that uncontrolled impacts from discarded rocket stages could pose a growing risk as space activity increases. UK aerospace engineer Dean Sladen told Space.com last week that such stages could become a “tangible operational risk” with the development of permanent lunar infrastructure.

Trajectory and Initial Assessment

SpaceX stated that the initial trajectory of the upper stage was considered safe according to existing guidelines. However, a combination of solar activity and gravitational forces ultimately altered its course, leading to the lunar impact. The agency noted that the event occurred after the rocket stage had completed its primary mission.

The incident highlights the increasing need for monitoring and mitigation strategies as space traffic around the Moon continues to grow.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.