Spacecraft Upper Stage Creates New Crater on Moon

An 8,800-pound (3,991 kg) upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket struck the Moon on Aug. 5, 2026, creating a fresh crater about 60 feet (18 m) wide between the Einstein and Bell craters. The stage, launched in Jan. 2025 with two lunar landers, remained in orbit after separation and, over 18 months, was nudged by the gravity of Earth, the Moon and the Sun as well as solar activity toward the lunar surface. Because the Moon lacks an atmosphere, the stage did not burn up and impacted at roughly 5,400 mph (8,690 kph).

The collision was not visible from Earth, but the Very Large Telescope in Chile detected lithium from the rocket and sodium from the lunar regolith in the resulting debris cloud. South Korea’s Danuri orbiter later photographed the site, confirming a new crater, though the images were insufficient to measure its dimensions. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter obtained higher-resolution imagery on Aug. 11-12, showing the crater and ejecta streaks.

"This event provides a unique opportunity to study how human-made objects affect the lunar environment," a NASA spokesperson said.

Scientists say the impact offers data to assess the potential hazards that space debris may pose to future lunar missions, including astronauts, landers and equipment.