--- title: "NASA published images of the crater left on the Moon by the fallen Falcon 9 stage" description: "NASA published detailed images of the crater left on the Moon by the Falcon 9 upper stage that struck its surface. The impact occurred on August 5, 2026, at a speed of about 8,700 km/h." date: 2026-08-19T22:29:54.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/nasa-images-of-crater-left-by-fallen-falcon-9-stage tags: [space, nasa, spacex, falcon-9, moon, lunar-impact, lro] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # NASA published images of the crater left on the Moon by the fallen Falcon 9 stage ![NASA image of a fallen Falcon 9 rocket stage on the lunar surface with craters left by the impact](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/20/nasa-snimki-kratera-ot-upavshej-stupeni-falcon-9/nasa-snimki-kratera-ot-upavshej-stupeni-falcon-9-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The Falcon 9 upper stage, weighing about 4 tons, struck the Moon on August 5, 2026, at a speed of around 8,700 km/h. - LRO waited about six days for a pass over the relevant area, after which it photographed the crater from different angles and lighting. - Light and dark streaks of ejected soil were detected around the crater, which is about 18 meters wide. - The stage headed to the Moon because, after separating the payload, no fuel remained for a return to Earth. In early August 2026, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, belonging to SpaceX, struck the lunar surface, leaving behind a noticeable crater. According to data cited in materials from Xbt.com and confirmed by several publications, the collision occurred on August 5 of this year. The approximately four-ton spacecraft hit the Moon's surface at a speed of around 8,700 kilometers per hour, which produced the crater and characteristic ejecta around the impact point. ### Impact at 8,700 km/h According to available information, at the moment of contact with the surface the stage had accelerated to approximately 8,700 km/h. It is precisely this speed and the mass of the object that explain the scale of the trace: the crater measured about 18 meters in width, and radial ejecta formed around the impact point. Initially, before-and-after footage of the fall was transmitted by the South Korean lunar orbiter Danuri (Koreun), but subsequent images significantly expanded scientists' ability to analyze the consequences of the collision. ### Six days waiting for LRO As agency representatives explained, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had to wait about six days for the relevant surface area to come into view of its camera. This is due to the orbiter's orbital mechanics: a specific point on the Moon becomes available for imaging only at certain moments of its pass. In the end, images were obtained from different angles and under different lighting conditions, which allowed specialists to accurately assess the geometry and features of the crater. ### What the images showed: streaks and an 18-meter crater Working with the obtained images, researchers detected various light and dark streaks around the crater — traces of ejected soil and changes in the surface albedo in the impact zone. The contrast of these streaks against the lunar regolith helped better understand the dynamics of the collision and the distribution of material. According to the estimate given in the publications, the crater is about 18 meters wide, making it one of the notable artificial traces on the lunar surface. ### Why the stage headed to the Moon The reason for the trajectory is explained by the rocket's design logic: after separating the payload, the upper stage had insufficient fuel remaining to return to Earth. As a result, the object continued moving by its own inertia, entered a lunar trajectory, and ultimately struck the Moon's surface in August, leaving a large-scale trace that is now being documented by scientific missions. ### Contradictory data Different materials emphasize the role of specific spacecraft in recording the event in different ways: some sources stress that the initial before-and-after footage of the fall was transmitted by the South Korean orbiter Danuri, while others focus on the detailed LRO images obtained a few days later. In addition, the exact width of the crater (around 18 meters) is not given in all publications — in some materials the crater size is not specified. These discrepancies concern the emphasis and completeness of the data, not the fact of the collision itself, which is confirmed by all sources. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [NASA published an image of a lunar crater formed after the Falcon 9 rocket fell – Zamin.uz, 19.08.2026](https://zamin.uz/ru/tekhnologii/218499-nasa-opublikovala-snimok-lunnogo-kratera-obrazovavshegosya-posle-padeniya-rakety-falcon-9.html) - Подтверждает публикацию NASA снимка кратера от падения Falcon 9 (19.08.2026). - [NASA showed the crater on the Moon after the Falcon 9 stage fell](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/edu-and-science/_nasa-pokazalo-krater-na-lune-posle-padeniya-stepeni-falcon-9/1256942) - Подтверждает факт показа кратера и связь со ступенью Falcon 9. - [Falcon 9 stage left an 18-meter-wide crater on the Moon: NASA showed the images](https://hi-tech.mail.ru/news/153535-stupen-falcon-9-ostavila-na-lune-krater-18-metrov-snimki/) - Дополняет данные шириной кратера около 18 метров и публикацией снимков. - [NASA considers the new lunar crater the landing site of the Russian Luna 25 station](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F/20230901-nasa-%D1%81%D1%87%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B5%D1%82-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D0%BB%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BB%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B0-25) - Относится к другому событию 2023 года (Луна 25); не подтверждает текущую новость о Falcon 9, использован лишь как нерелевантный контекст. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: When did the Falcon 9 stage collide with the Moon? **A:** According to available data, the collision occurred on August 5, 2026; detailed images of the crater were published by NASA in late August 2026. ### Q: At what speed and with what mass was the stage at the moment of impact? **A:** The upper stage, weighing about four tons, struck the lunar surface at a speed of around 8,700 kilometers per hour. ### Q: Why did the stage not return to Earth? **A:** After separating the payload, the upper stage had insufficient fuel remaining for a return, so the object continued moving by inertia and entered a lunar trajectory. ### Q: How wide was the resulting crater? **A:** According to the estimate given in the publications, the crater is about 18 meters wide; light and dark streaks of ejected soil were detected around it.