KB News Desk
We’ve seen SpaceX rockets launch. But what happens when one crashes into the moon? South Korea’s first lunar orbiter, Danuri, now has the answer.
South Korea’s first lunar orbiter, Danuri, captured rare before-and-after images of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage striking the moon this week, giving scientists one of their clearest opportunities yet to study how a human-made object alters the lunar surface.
The Korea Aerospace Administration said Thursday that the rocket’s upper stage impacted the moon’s far side near Einstein Crater at 3:34 p.m. Wednesday (Korea time). Unlike most previous lunar impacts, which have typically been studied only after new craters were discovered, Danuri recorded the site both before and after the collision.
The spacecraft began photographing the site about 30 minutes before the collision and continued making observations afterward, capturing the area eight times in total. It had also secured reference images of the site last month to provide a baseline for comparison.
Images released by the agency show a newly formed dark mark spreading out from the impact site, along with changes to the surrounding terrain caused by debris thrown up by the collision.
To capture the event, Danuri adjusted its orbit to pass directly over the impact site while flying about 340 to 350 kilometers above the lunar surface. Using its high-resolution Lunar Terrain Imager, the orbiter photographed the area with a resolution of about five meters per pixel.
The mission also deployed its wide-angle Polarimetric Camera to measure changes in the moon’s surface reflectance and polarization, helping scientists analyze the size and density of surface particles and the distribution of material ejected by the impact.
The Korea Aerospace Administration likened the feat to photographing a collision in Busan while flying 150 kilometers above Seoul at a speed of 1.5 kilometers per second, underscoring the precision required for the observation.
Scientists will use the images to analyze the crater’s size and shape, the distribution of ejecta, or material blasted out from an impact, and changes in the moon’s reflective and polarimetric properties. The data will also help NASA plan follow-up observations by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, with the findings expected to contribute to international research on lunar geology and impact processes.
“The achievement will provide an important foundation for expanding the country’s lunar research and future space exploration strategy,” Korea Aerospace Administration Administrator Oh Tae-seok told local media.
The impact itself also drew international attention because it involved uncontrolled space debris. Scientists have warned that the debris could pose growing risks to future missions.
