September 10, 2026

Our Moon Has A New Crater!

By Sarah Uebersax - 359 words

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A SpaceX rocket stage created a new crater on the Moon (Credit: NASA/ Public Domain)

Our Moon just got a massive new crater! However, unlike most lunar craters, this one was not caused by an asteroid or meteorite slamming into its surface. Instead, it was created when an 8,800-pound (3,991 kg) piece of space junk crashed into the Moon at 5,400 mph (8,690 kph) on August 5, 2026.

It all began in January 2025, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched two lunar landers into space. After the landers separated from the rocket, its upper stage was left in space. Instead of falling back to Earth, it continued traveling in an orbit that carried it far from our planet.

For the next year and a half, the gravity of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, along with solar activity, gradually changed the rocket stage’s orbit. Over time, these changes sent it toward the Moon.

The SpaceX mission launched in 2025 (Credit: NASA/ Public Domain)

Because the Moon has no atmosphere, the rocket stage did not burn up as it approached the surface. On August 5, it crashed between the Moon’s Einstein and Bell craters. This side of the Moon was facing the Sun at the time of the collision. Hence, the initial flare from the crash was not visible from Earth. However, the Very Large Telescope in Chile detected two different elements in the cloud of debris created by the collision. There was lithium from the rocket and sodium from the lunar surface.

A few days later, South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft photographed the crash site. A comparison of the new images with pictures taken before the impact showed a fresh crater. However, the image was not clear enough to determine its exact size.

Images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter before and after the Falcon 9 rocket booster impact on Aug. 5 (Credit: NASA/GSFC/Intuitive Machines)

Between August 11 and 12, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured a closer image of the impact area. It showed a 60-foot-wide (18-meter) crater surrounded by streaks of lunar rock thrown up by the rocket’s impact.

This unexpected crash gave researchers a chance to study how human-made objects affect the Moon. As NASA and other space agencies prepare for more lunar missions, understanding these effects is very important. This knowledge will help scientists assess the risks that space debris poses to future astronauts, spacecraft, and equipment.

Resources: Space.com, ZMEscience.com, Quartz.com

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