A significant new impact crater has been identified on the Moon, a rare event that occurs once in a century according to scientists. The discovery was made during a routine examination of images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, revealing a fresh scar spanning approximately 225 meters, equivalent to the length of two football fields placed end to end.

While the Moon has been accumulating impact craters for billions of years, this latest crater stands out due to its size. Researchers have estimated that a crater of this magnitude is expected to form only once every 139 years based on comparisons with surrounding lunar features, making this finding exceptionally unusual. It coincides with NASA’s efforts to send humans back to the Moon, including the upcoming Artemis 2 mission scheduled to launch no earlier than April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts on a lunar orbit.

However, the extensive debris field surrounding the new crater has raised concerns among scientists since the Moon lacks an atmosphere to mitigate the impact effects. Such impacts can eject large quantities of rock and dust at high velocities, posing potential hazards across a wide area. Scientists emphasize the necessity for structures on the Moon to withstand high-velocity debris, including particles traveling at speeds of around one kilometer per second.

The recently discovered crater seems to have formed at the boundary between the cratered lunar highlands and a flat mare area resulting from liquid magma accumulation on the Moon’s surface, as described by planetary scientist Mark Robinson during a recent conference. The crater is encircled by a layer of rock and dust that splattered in various directions, reaching distances of hundreds of meters from the impact site.

NASA had previously postponed its Artemis 2 crewed mission to the Moon, initially planned for 2024, due to technical issues with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule, which included problems with the helium system, hydrogen leaks, and safety concerns related to the heat shield. The mission aims to send four astronauts on a 10-day lunar orbit journey, with a potential launch date as early as April 1.