SourceNASA’s LRO Images Falcon 9 Crater on Moon, Learns New Details
NASA used this event to test and validate tools for predicting impacts, which helps protect Earth from natural hazards via its Planetary Defense program.
- A Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon on Aug. 5, 2026, forming a new crater.
- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the crater on Aug. 11-12 using its Narrow-Angle Camera, waiting six days for the right viewing geometry.
- The crater measures about 60 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep.
- NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies had predicted the impact site, which South Korea's Danuri orbiter confirmed to within 0.6 miles using its LUTI camera.
- The LRO team updated the crater's coordinates to 19.4759 degrees N, 266.7138 degrees E, 511 meters elevation.