South Korean Orbiter Captures Crater From SpaceX Rocket's Moon Crash

South Korea's lunar orbiter Danuri has captured the first before-and-after images of the impact site left by a stray Falcon 9 upper stage from SpaceX crashing into the Moon. Photos taken during several flyovers of the crash zone were released by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute on Thursday.

The imagery shows the area around the impact point is noticeably darker. The collision carved out a crater and scattered rock fragments and dust across the surrounding terrain. The Falcon 9 upper stage hit the Moon on Wednesday unintentionally after deviating from its planned trajectory.

Officials at the South Korean space agency confirmed Danuri captured both pre-impact views of the region and post-impact shots. Next week, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to fly over the crash site to conduct its own, higher-resolution survey of the aftermath.

This marks the first time rocket debris launched from Earth has accidentally collided with our planet's natural satellite. Data gathered by the two spacecraft should help scientists better assess the impact's parameters and its effect on the lunar surface.