A South Korean satellite has captured the first images of the Moon's new impact site caused by a stray SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri spacecraft passed over the crash location shortly after the upper stage inadvertently collided with the lunar surface on Wednesday, August 7th, 2026, at about 4:35pm AEST.

Danuri made multiple passes from lunar orbit, taking before-and-after photos that show noticeably darker terrain at the impact site. Korean space officials confirmed that these images were gathered and later released by the space agency.

Prior to the satellite images, astronomers using a telescope in Chile observed a debris plume resulting from the crash. According to SpaceX, the Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon at approximately 8,700 kilometres per hour after being placed on an accidental collision course due to solar activity and gravitational forces.

NASA plans for its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to fly over the crash site next week to further assess the aftermath.

Sources

ABC Australia News