A satellite from South Korea has captured images of a visible mark left on the moon following a collision with a SpaceX rocket on Wednesday. The mark, appearing as a smudge varying in darkness, was documented near the Einstein Crater on the moon’s surface. The Korean lunar orbiter, Danuri (also known as the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter or KPLO), utilized its high-resolution Lunar Terrain Imager (LUTI) camera to capture images before and after the collision.
The incident involved the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage, which had been drifting off-course for about a year since launching in January 2025 with two lunar landers. The rocket made an unintentional but anticipated crash onto the moon at a speed of approximately 8,700 km/hour. Telescopes on Earth observed the debris plume resulting from the crash, providing confirmation even before the release of the new images.
Danuri, launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2022, has been orbiting approximately 100 kilometers above the moon’s poles since December of that year. Initially planned for a one-year mission, its operational period has been extended until 2027. The collision has raised questions about space debris responsibility, prompting discussions on managing post-mission debris from commercial space operations.