Posted Fri 7 Aug 2026 at 10:45amFri 7 Aug 2026 at 10:45amA composite of satellite images shows the Moon's surface before (left) and after the crash. (Reuters: NASA, Korea AeroSpace Administration)In short:The first images of the Moon have been released after part of a SpaceX rocket crashed into its surface.A South Korean satellite captured pictures that appear to show darker terrain at the crash site.What's next?NASA expects its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to flyover the crash site next week to view the aftermathA South Korean satellite has captured the first images of the Moon's fresh crash scene caused by a stray SpaceX rocket.The Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri spacecraft flew over the impact site soon after the Falcon 9 upper stage inadvertently ploughed into the Moon on Wednesday, about 4:35pm AEST.Danuri made multiple passes, snapping photos from lunar orbit that the space agency released.The terrain is noticeably darker where the rocket hit and carved out a crater, sending dust and rock everywhere.KASA says its lunar orbiter captured the new images. (Reuters: Korea AeroSpace Administration)Korean space officials said Danuri gathered before-and-after shots.NASA expects its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to flyover the crash site next week to view the aftermath.Elon Musk's SpaceX launched Danuri from Cape Canaveral in 2022.The company also sent a pair of private lunar landers to the Moon last year.The upper stage from that launch is what crashed into the Moon this week at 8,700 kilometres an hour, placed on an accidental collision course by solar activity and gravity, according to SpaceX.Before the satellite images were released, a telescope in Chile had spotted what astronomers identified as the debris plume resulting from the crash.The team detected a stream of sodium and lithium stretching for tens of kilometres into space for at least five to 10 minutes following the impact.AP