NASA's New Moon Image Shows Double Crater from SpaceX Rocket Impact

According to calculations, the object is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was launched into space in February 2015 as part of the DSCOVR mission. Since the stage did not have enough fuel after launch to return to Earth's atmosphere, it did not burn up as intended, but instead struck the lunar surface.

Background: First Confirmed Moon Impact

According to NASA, the impact in March 2022 was the first known case in which a part of a spacecraft accidentally collided with the Moon. Although there had previously been speculation about a possible hit by a Chinese rocket part from the 2014 Chang'e 5-T1 mission, the current case is considered the first clearly confirmed incident of this kind.

The images come from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA satellite that has been orbiting the Moon since 2009. Using its cameras, the U.S. space agency was able to narrow down the impact site and make the unusual crater structure visible. The LRO mission was originally planned for one year but has been extended multiple times.

Images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Experts also see the incident as a fundamental challenge: in low Earth orbit and in space, space debris is increasingly accumulating, including spent upper rocket stages. When such objects crash uncontrollably onto other celestial bodies, this can both distort scientific data and endanger future landing sites.

NASA announced that it would continue to analyze the observations and coordinate with international partners such as the European Space Agency (ESA). The goal is to improve the modeling of uncontrolled re-entries and lunar impacts. The agency also emphasized that the double crater is a useful data set for gaining insight into the speed, mass, and composition of the impacting object.

Response from NASA and SpaceX

According to NASA's reporting, SpaceX itself did not comment in detail on the incident but pointed out that parts of the Falcon 9 upper stages are now designed to deliberately burn up in the atmosphere or be disposed of in a controlled manner. These standards did not yet apply to the affected mission from 2015.

Overall, according to observers, the confirmed lunar impact illustrates that the increase in private and governmental space activities places new demands on the tracking of spent rocket parts. Discussions about international rules to prevent uncontrolled impacts on celestial bodies are likely to receive new momentum as a result.