Before and after pictures show new 60ft-wide crater after SpaceX rocket slammed into Moon at 5,4000mph

FRESH Nasa images show the Moon’s newest crater after a SpaceX rocket hit at hypersonic speed. Earlier this month, Elon Musk‘s Falcon slammed into the Moon at 5,400mph – the equivalent power of three tonnes of TNT. The before and after images showing a new 60ft-wide crater after SpaceX collided with the moon Credit: AFP NASA shows the 60ft wide crater imprinted onto the moon Credit: AP On Tuesday, the space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area, taken from a spacecraft encompassing the Moon. The tech billionaire inadvertently left his mark, with the new images showing a crater around 60ft wide and 10ft deep imprinted on the surface. Sign up for the Tech newsletter Thank you! Dark and bright streaks can be seen emanating from the crater shown in photos released. The darker lines show dirt that sat near the surface for a very long time while the brighter rays indicate fresh rocks and dirt that were scattered upon the massive impact. Part of a Falcon 9 SpaceX smashed into the moons surface Credit: AP South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft was first to beam back photos Credit: AFP Nasa said its spacecraft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), captured the images one week after the collision from 97 km above. Remote flight controllers worked to position the onboard cameras towards the crater. While South Korea‘s Danuri spacecraft was first on the scene to beam back photos, Nasa’s images give a superior view of the crater. The school-bus-sized part of the Falcon 9 spacecraft smashed into the Moon on August 5. Most read in Tech A Nasa spokesperson has claimed the crash posed “no danger to Earth”. The incident sparked serious concerns among scientists who worry about the growing issue of lunar litter. They argue we should be wary about the unnecessary build-up of space debris and the ramifications that these crashes could have for future space exploration. At the time of the crash Jenifer Millard, Astronomer, Fifth Star Labs told the BBC the collision was a “red flag for what’s going on up there.” She said: “Imagine if that was to hit a crewed lunar base, or if it was to hit somewhere historical, like one of the Apollo sites, or maybe some sensitive equipment, or if the blast zone damaged some scientific equipment or habitation pod.” SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 is a reusable rocket designed to return much of its hardware safely to Earth after launch. The collision is believed to be the second of its kind in history. In 2022, a Chinese rocket segment left two craters on the Moon’s far side after an accidental strike. Comment now