A recent incident involving a SpaceX rocket colliding with the moon has been captured by a South Korean satellite. The images reveal a distinct mark on the lunar surface near the Einstein Crater, showing a dark or light smudge that was not present in previous photos of the area. The Korean lunar orbiter, Danuri (KPLO), utilized its high-resolution Lunar Terrain Imager (LUTI) camera to document the collision of the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage with the moon.
The SpaceX rocket’s second stage, launched in January 2025, veered off course over the past year after deploying two lunar landers into space. The unintended crash onto the moon occurred on Wednesday at a speed of approximately 8,700 km/hour. Telescopes on Earth observed the debris plume resulting from the impact, confirming the event even before the satellite images were released.
Danuri, launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2022, has been orbiting 100 kilometers above the moon’s poles since December of that year. Originally planned for a one-year mission, its operational duration has been extended until 2027. The incident has raised concerns about space debris responsibility, prompting discussions among scientists and industry experts regarding the management of post-mission materials in space.
The impact of the SpaceX rocket on the moon has sparked interest in studying the consequences of such events and the importance of responsible space junk management by commercial space entities.