New satellite imagery shows the lunar impact site where a SpaceX rocket stage crashed into the Moon, giving researchers their first visual confirmation of the event's aftermath. The images, captured after the rocket body struck the lunar surface, document the crater left behind by the collision.
The SpaceX rocket component that hit the Moon was a Falcon 9 upper stage. NASA is working with SpaceX to develop the Starship Human Landing System to carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon's surface and back.
NASA and its industry partners are preparing for next year's Artemis III demonstration mission through related testing on the Super Heavy Version 3 booster. Recent wind tunnel tests at NASA's Ames Research Center focused on understanding the extreme aerodynamic forces the rocket can experience during re-entry.
The transonic tunnel at Ames tested scale models at speeds from Mach 0.2 to Mach 1.4, while the supersonic tunnel fired winds from Mach 1.55 to Mach 2.5. Those tests, conducted in late 2025, measured steady and unsteady air flows on the surfaces of Super Heavy to help flight software guide the rocket during atmospheric re-entry.
The crash-site imagery provides a visual record of where the discarded rocket stage came down.
