In case you were worried SpaceX wouldn’t leave a literal mark on space history, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has officially measured the dent left behind by a rogue Falcon 9 upper stage: a crater roughly 60 feet wide and 10 feet deep (18 by 3 meters).
The rocket piece had been on a collision course with the lunar surface following its 2025 launch of the Blue Ghost Mission 1 and RESILIENCE landers. After the vehicle finally met its end in early August, NASA snapped high-resolution photos from 60 miles above while travelling at a mile per second.
Lunar experts analyzing the photos noted that the crash blasted out fresh subsurface material, leaving bright, visible rays around the impact site alongside older, space-weathered debris. In related space junk news, SpaceX was also spotted towing a Starship booster from its 13th test flight to Australia’s Christmas Island, using the local calm waters for post-flight inspection before shipping it back to Texas.
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