SpaceX Rocket Creates Double Crater on Moon's Far Side
In March 2022, an abandoned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage, launched in 2015, unintentionally crashed into the Moon's far side near Hertzsprung crater. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later captured before-and-after images revealing a rare double crater, indicating mass at both ends of the booster. The impact, traveling over 5,000 mph, created a crater about 60 feet wide. The event underscores growing concerns over space debris and its implications for future lunar exploration and space policy.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection
Cross-source coverage
Wire timeline
New NASA Pictures Reveal SpaceX Crash's Devastation On The Moon's Magnificent Desolation
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured new images of a double crater on the Moon caused by the crash of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster. The booster, part of a 2022 mission, was left in a chaotic orbit and eventually impacted the lunar surface. The images, aided by South Korea's Danuri orbiter, show an unusual double crater, suggesting the rocket had two heavy masses at each end. This event highlights the growing operational risk of space debris and the need for responsible disposal of rocket stages to protect future lunar settlements. The crash is a tangible example of the challenges posed by human activity in cislunar space.
New NASA Pictures Reveal SpaceX Crash's Devastation On The Moon's Magnificent Desolation
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured new before-and-after images revealing a double crater on the Moon caused by the impact of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage. The rocket booster, part of a 2022 mission to launch a NOAA satellite, had been drifting in space before crashing into the lunar surface in March 2022. The images show a crater approximately 10 meters wide, with an unusual double structure, suggesting the rocket had significant mass at both ends. This is the first known unintentional human-made object to crash into the Moon. The impact provides scientists with new data about lunar geology and the effects of impacts on the Moon's surface.
NASA Reveals Before-and-After Images of Moon Crater Left by SpaceX Rocket
NASA has released before-and-after images of a double crater on the Moon caused by the impact of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage. The impact occurred on March 4, 2022, when the rocket's upper stage, which had been in space for seven years, crashed into the lunar surface near the Hertzsprung crater on the far side of the Moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the images, revealing a rare double crater, which surprised scientists as it suggests the rocket stage had mass concentrated at both ends. The event has raised concerns about the growing risk of space debris and the need for responsible disposal of rocket stages, especially as plans for lunar settlement advance. The crater is approximately 19 meters wide and provides new data for understanding lunar impacts.
Show 4 older updatesHide older updates
New NASA Images Reveal Crater Left Behind by SpaceX Rocket Impact on the Moon
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured new images revealing a double crater on the Moon's surface, created by the impact of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage. The rocket booster, launched in 2015 to deploy the DSCOVR climate satellite, had been drifting in space for years before its trajectory led to an unintended collision with the lunar far side in March 2022. The unusual double crater suggests the rocket carried significant mass at both ends, unlike typical impacts. The discovery provides new insights into lunar geology and space debris management. Multiple news outlets, including CNN, The Washington Post, and NASA's own science portal, have reported on the findings, highlighting the growing issue of uncontrolled space debris and its potential effects on celestial bodies.
Before-and-after images show where SpaceX rocket crashed into the moon
The Washington Post reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage, which had been abandoned in space after a 2015 mission, crashed into the moon's surface in March 2022. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured before-and-after images of the impact site, revealing a new double crater. The crash was unintentional, as the rocket's trajectory was not controlled after its primary mission. The images provide scientists with new details about the impact and the moon's subsurface. The event highlights the growing issue of space debris and its potential effects on lunar exploration.
SpaceX rocket crashes into the moon; NASA spacecraft spots crater
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket upper stage, launched in 2015, intentionally crashed into the moon's surface in March 2022. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured before-and-after images revealing a double crater formed by the impact. The event highlights the growing issue of space debris and its potential consequences for lunar exploration. The impact site was located on the far side of the moon, near the Hertzsprung crater. Scientists are analyzing the crater to learn more about the moon's subsurface composition and the effects of human-made debris on celestial bodies. The incident has also drawn attention to SpaceX's operations and the broader implications for space policy and commercial spaceflight.
NASA Shares Before-And-After Photos of Moon Crater Made by SpaceX Rocket
NASA released before-and-after photos on August 19, 2026, showing a crater on the moon created by an unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that crashed into the lunar surface earlier in August. The rocket, launched in early 2025 on a one-way deep-space mission to carry lunar landers, ran out of fuel and drifted for months before being pulled by gravity into the moon at over 5,000 mph. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the images from 60 miles above, revealing a crater 60 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep, along with streaks of surface dust and rocks. The event adds to decades of lunar debris collisions, including intentional crashes like NASA's 2009 probe that struck water.