The Korean AeroSpace Administration (KASA) has released photographs documenting the lunar surface following a collision with debris from a SpaceX rocket. The impact, which occurred on Wednesday at approximately 06:35 GMT, was captured by the Danubri lunar orbiter. KASA provided these images alongside pre-impact documentation to illustrate the event.

The object involved was the empty upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, estimated to weigh 4,000kg and stand roughly the height of a five-storey building. SpaceX has stated that the collision was unintentional. The rocket stage had been in orbit since January 2025, when it launched from Florida to transport two lunar landers. Following that mission, the spent stage remained in a looping orbit, where gravitational forces and solar pressure gradually altered its trajectory toward the Moon.

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While the impact posed no threat to Earth, the incident has prompted discussions regarding the increasing density of objects in space. Matt Bothwell, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, noted that the growing volume of launches could eventually complicate navigation through Earth's orbit. “Space is getting more and more crowded,” Bothwell stated.

Source: BBC News