NASA has released before-and-after images showing the fresh crater left when a Falcon rocket upper stage hit the moon earlier this month, providing the clearest view yet of an unplanned commercial-space impact.

The used upper stage struck the lunar surface on 5 August after drifting through space for more than a year. NASA had tracked the object in advance and said the impact posed no danger to Earth.

Images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show a crater about 60 feet across and less than 10 feet deep, according to scientists cited by AP. The rocket stage had launched private lunar landers in 2025 as part of NASA's wider effort to support commercial lunar exploration.

The images are a scientific record, but they also point to a policy question. As more public and private missions head to the moon, operators and regulators will face closer scrutiny over tracking, end-of-life disposal and transparency around unintended impacts.