South Korea's Space Agency Documents SpaceX Rocket Debris Impact on Moon

South Korea's space agency has released images showing the Moon after part of a SpaceX rocket crashed into its surface, Malu Cursino reported for BBC News.

South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter captured images of the Moon after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage struck the lunar surface. [Image: Ministry of Science and ICT]

W

The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said its lunar orbiter Danuri captured images following the impact and released them alongside photographs showing the area before the crash.

According to KASA, the rocket debris struck the Moon at approximately 06:35 GMT on Wednesday, or 2:35 p.m. Philippine time on Aug. 6. SpaceX has said the impact was unintentional.

The Falcon 9 rocket was designed so that portions of the vehicle could return to Earth while other components were discarded in space. SpaceX has used the rocket extensively for a wide range of missions.

The empty upper stage involved in the incident was expected to hit the Moon at approximately 5,400 mph (8,700 km/h). It weighs about 4,000 kilograms and is roughly the size of a five-story building.