A recent incident involving a SpaceX rocket colliding with the moon has been captured by a South Korean satellite, revealing a noticeable mark left on the lunar surface. The impact left a distinct smudge, varying in darkness in different images, near the Einstein Crater region of the moon.
The Korean lunar orbiter, Danuri (also referred to as the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter or KPLO), documented the event by capturing images before and after the collision of the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage with the moon’s surface. The Korean Aerospace Administration (KASA) confirmed this report.
Equipped with a high-resolution Lunar Terrain Imager (LUTI) camera, Danuri was able to provide detailed visuals of the aftermath. The incident involved the second stage of a SpaceX rocket that had veered off course since its launch in January 2025, carrying two lunar landers. Traveling at an estimated speed of 8,700 km/hour, the rocket stage crashed onto the moon on Wednesday, creating a visible plume of debris.
Telescopes on Earth also observed the debris plume, confirming the crash even before the satellite images were released. Danuri itself was launched on a SpaceX rocket in 2022 and has been in orbit around 100 kilometers above the moon’s poles since December of that year. Originally planned for a one-year mission, its operational life has been extended until 2027.
The incident has raised questions about the responsibility for space debris, prompting further investigation into the implications of such collisions in space exploration.