NASA has confirmed the location of a 60-foot crater on the moon caused by an abandoned SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage. The rocket segment collided with the lunar surface on August 5 at a speed of approximately 5,400 mph. This impact occurred near the Einstein crater, a region that was sunlit during the event, which masked the initial flash from observers on Earth.
The 4.4-ton rocket stage remained in orbit for nearly a year following its January 2025 launch. A combination of solar radiation and gravitational forces eventually pushed the debris toward the moon. NASA officials used the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to capture high-resolution images of the site between August 11 and 12, revealing debris streaks extending from the impact zone.
Finding the crater required cooperation between space agencies and independent researchers. While the collision speed sounds high, it is significantly slower than the typical velocity of natural meteoroids hitting the moon. This lower speed resulted in a smaller, harder-to-detect impact site compared to typical lunar craters.
South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter first identified the location on August 6. Subsequent imagery from NASA allowed scientists to analyze the structural damage to the lunar regolith. The resulting images show darker, weathered material ejected from beneath the surface, providing new data on the moon's composition.