Satellite images from South Korea have revealed a visible mark on the moon following the collision of a SpaceX rocket on Wednesday. The mark appears as a dark or light smudge, distinct from other images of the same area near the Einstein Crater on the moon’s surface.
The Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, also known as Danuri, captured images before and after the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage crashed into the lunar surface while en route to the moon. The Korean Aerospace Administration (KASA) reported this development.
The high-resolution Lunar Terrain Imager (LUTI) camera onboard the orbiter captured these images. The second stage of a SpaceX rocket, launched in January 2025, veered off course after carrying two lunar landers and eventually collided with the moon at a speed of approximately 8,700 km/hour, marking the end of its unintentional but expected journey.
Telescopes on Earth detected the plume of debris generated by the crash, confirming the impact even before the release of the new images. Danuri, launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2022, has been orbiting 100 kilometers above the moon’s poles since December of that year. Originally scheduled for a one-year mission, its operational lifespan has been extended until 2027.
