SpaceX rocket stage creates a new crater on the Moon

A spent upper stage from a SpaceX Falcon rocket crashed into the lunar surface on August 5. The collision occurred because the orbits of the two objects intersected. According to NASA, the object—weighing approximately 4,000 kg—struck the visible side of the Moon near the Einstein crater at a speed of nearly 9,000 km/h. On August 11-12, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured images of the impact site from an altitude of 96 km. Using narrow-angle and wide-angle cameras, NASA specialists analyzed the data to determine the dimensions of the resulting crater: it is approximately 18 meters wide and 3 meters deep. The imagery reveals bright rays and spots surrounding the crater. These are ejecta—fresh lunar soil displaced during the impact. This material appears lighter than the surrounding surface, which has darkened over time due to prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation and micrometeorites.