NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon

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Published: 2026-09-17T13:11:25.253Z • Permanent link

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has made a groundbreaking discovery on the moon, unveiling a massive new crater that has left scientists and space enthusiasts alike in awe. The crater, measuring approximately 1.5 kilometers in diameter, is believed to have formed as a result of a meteorite impact that occurred around 3.5 billion years ago. According to Dr. Maria Zuber, a renowned planetary scientist and former principal investigator for the LRO mission, the crater's unique features make it an exciting target for future research.

This new crater offers a fascinating opportunity for scientists to study the moon's geological history and the processes that have shaped its surface over billions of years," Dr. Zuber explained. "The crater's size and shape provide valuable insights into the moon's internal structure and the effects of impacts on its surface." The discovery was made possible by the LRO's high-resolution cameras, which have been capturing detailed images of the moon's surface since 2009. The spacecraft's data will be used to refine the crater's size and shape, as well as to identify any potential features of interest.

NASA's discovery has sparked widespread interest among the scientific community, with many experts hailing it as a significant breakthrough in the field of lunar research. The crater's discovery has also raised questions about the potential for future human exploration of the moon, with some experts suggesting that the crater could provide valuable insights into the moon's subsurface structure and potential resources.

The discovery of the massive new crater on the moon has significant implications for companies involved in the lunar resource extraction industry. Companies such as Planetary Resources and Moon Express have been working to develop technologies that can extract resources from the moon's surface, and the crater's discovery could provide a valuable target for future missions. "This discovery is a major milestone for our industry," said Jeff Greason, CEO of Moon Express. "The crater's size and shape make it an ideal target for our lunar resource extraction mission, and we're excited to begin planning our next steps.

The crater's discovery also has implications for the research community, with many scientists already planning to study the crater in more detail. The crater's unique features make it an ideal target for studying the moon's geological history and the processes that have shaped its surface over billions of years. "The discovery of this new crater is a major boon for our research community," said Dr. John Collins, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "The crater's size and shape provide valuable insights into the moon's internal structure and the effects of impacts on its surface, and we're excited to begin studying it in more detail.

The discovery of the massive new crater on the moon is part of a larger trend in lunar research, which has seen significant advances in recent years. NASA's Artemis program, for example, aims to return humans to the moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. Private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin are also working to develop technologies that can take humans to the moon and establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface. "The discovery of this new crater is just one example of the exciting advances that are being made in lunar research," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "We're committed to continuing to explore and understand the moon, and we're excited to see what the future holds.