NASA releases images of SpaceX rocket hitting lunar crater

(Central News Agency, Washington, 18th, Comprehensive Foreign Reports) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released the latest image today, showing the impact crater left by the Space Exploration Technology Company (SpaceX) rocket that hit the moon earlier this month.

Agence France-Presse reported that these photos were taken by the Lunar Orbiter (LRO) between August 11 and 12, showing the traces left after the upper stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket hit the lunar surface on August 5.

NASA scientists calculated based on the length of the crater's shadow that the crater was about 18 meters wide and less than 3 meters deep.

The Falcon 9 rocket was launched in January 2025, carrying the American Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander. This private mission later successfully landed softly on the moon.

These are not the first images of the impact site to come to light. As early as August 6, the Korean Space Agency released photos taken by the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) Danuri the day before.

NASA said in a statement that taking this photo was extremely challenging. In order to photograph a specific spot on the moon, the orbiter had to wait until the spot came into view, which in this case took six days. In addition, the orbiting probe must be adjusted to the right tilt angle to allow the camera to focus on the impact crater as it flies over 96.5 kilometers above the crater.