South Korea's Danuri captures images of SpaceX Falcon 9 lunar impact
South Korea's Danuri spacecraft photographed the fresh crater and a darkened patch created by a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper-stage impact on the Moon, and mission officials said further observations will be carried out. NASA reported that the four-tonne Falcon 9 second stage struck the lunar surface at roughly 5,400 mph, carving a crater up to 100 feet wide and 16 feet deep.
Both NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Danuri were positioned to capture before-and-after images, and earlier releases showed the new feature and a plume of debris. Tracking experts had predicted the collision after the launch delivered two lunar landers in early 2025.
Actors
SpaceX
NASA
South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Locations
Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
Hawthorne, California, United States
Washington, D.C., United States
Seoul, South Korea
