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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Vishwam Sankaran

First images show impact of SpaceX rocket crashing into the Moon

  • South Korean and Chinese satellites have captured unprecedented visuals of an out-of-control SpaceX rocket impacting the Moon , creating a crater and unleashing a cloud of dust.
  • The 4,000-kilogram upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket hit the lunar surface with the force of three tons of TNT, an unplanned event attributed to solar activity and gravitational forces.
  • The Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri spacecraft and China’s Gande-1 01 satellite both provided images of the impact site, showing darker terrain and a newly formed crater.
  • The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope detected chemical signs of sodium and lithium gas in a plume of lunar dust stretching tens of kilometres.
  • Nasa views this incident as an 'ideal opportunity' to study lunar impacts with a known object in real-time, while SpaceX explained that controlled disposal manoeuvres are not always possible for high-energy missions.

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