A South Korean satellite has captured images of the SpaceX rocket's impact on the Moon

On August 5, 2026, the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket hit the Moon. Although many astronomers followed this event, few images of the impact were captured. However, a South Korean probe has recently released images showing the impact site.

As a reminder, this Falcon 9 rocket was launched on January 15, 2025, to deploy Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander on the Moon. However, due to solar wind and gravitational forces, the upper stage remained in orbit around our natural satellite. As a result, this spacecraft, which measured 18 meters in length, crashed into the Moon at a speed of 5,400 mph (8,700 km/h) on August 5, 2026.

While this impact was not visible from Earth, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Danuri spacecraft flew over the impact site and captured several images during different flybys. Thus, the area where the rocket struck the Moon became darker, and a crater also formed. In addition, dust was ejected, although it is not visible in these images.

However, NASA has announced that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will fly over the impact site next week to study the consequences of this event. This could provide new information for astronomers, particularly regarding future lunar missions.