New Moon Crater Highlights Risks and Opportunities for Future Lunar Bases

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter first saw the new crater on the Moon’s near side in May 2024. The wide‑angle images were not examined until August 2025, and the discovery was confirmed in early 2026. The hole measures about 222 metres across and up to 43 metres deep – larger than the Roman Colosseum.

The impact disturbed the surface for more than 100 kilometres and left a seven‑kilometre‑wide cold spot. Co‑author David Paige of UCLA described the effect as “gardening the regolith”, meaning the impact mixed deeper material up to the surface.

LRO data show that the Moon’s top two centimetres of soil is turned over roughly every 80 000 years. At that rate, the footprints left by Apollo astronauts will be gone within that time frame, contrary to the popular belief that they will last forever.

Researchers say the findings are crucial for estimating how likely ejected debris is to hit NASA’s planned lunar base. Mark Robinson, chief scientist for the LRO’s cameras and a lead author of the study, noted that the information will help engineers harden structures against impact damage.

Such large‑scale impacts are estimated to occur only once every 132 years, providing a rare natural laboratory for future lunar settlement planning.

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