A spacecraft that crashed into the lunar surface last year was carrying an unidentified object, US scientists say.
Researchers from Arizona State University examined impact craters created by a rocket booster, later identified as Chinese, that crashed into the celestial body on March 4, 2022.
At first, it was thought that the rocket fragment in question belonged to the Falcon 9 rocket that Elon Musk’s SpaceX left in orbit in 2015. However, it was soon revealed to be a booster launched by China in 2014 as part of the Chang’e 5-T1 lunar exploration program.
However, researchers who analyzed the collision in more detail realized that this rocket fragment formed two craters on impact.
The team behind the study, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal The Planetary Science Journal, had observed the rocket fragment before the impact.
Finally, the team analyzed the fragment’s trail and its movement in space, and based on the characteristics they observed, they concluded that the rocket was carrying a mysterious payload that was destroyed by the impact on the lunar surface.
“This is the first time we have seen double craters,” said Tanner Campbell, lead author of the study.
“We know that in the case of Chang’e 5 T1, you would need two roughly equal masses to get two craters of roughly the same size.
Measuring changes in light reflection during the rocket’s motion, the research team also found oddities in the way the fragment landed on the Moon.
“It was supposed to wobble a little bit,” Campbell said:
“But this fragment is falling very steadily.
This suggests that there is another object acting as a counterweight to the motors that keep it in orbit.
It is thought to be mounted on the front of the thruster.
“Honestly, we have no idea what this could be,” Campbell said:
“Maybe it’s an extra support, an additional device or something else, we’ll probably never know.
