---
title: "NASA Spots Object Speeding Around the Moon"
description: "Spider-Man Pointing NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted a bizarre, sliver of an object speeding across the lunar surface last month. An image taken by the satellite's narrow-angle camera shows a mysterious sliver-like object as it orbits the Moon. And as it turns out, we're not looking at the first evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence — there's […]"
date: "2024-04-08"
modified: "2024-04-08"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-spots-object-speeding-around-moon"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "lro"
  - "lunar reconnaissance orbiter"
  - "moon"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Spots Object Speeding Around the Moon

![The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), otherwise known as Danuri, photobomed NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/nasa-spots-sliver-shaped-object-speeding-around-the-moon.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Spider-Man Pointing

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [spotted a bizarre sliver of an object](<https://www.nasa.gov/missions/lro/nasas-lro-finds-photo-op-as-it-zips-past-skoreas-danuri-moon-orbiter/>) speeding above the lunar surface last month.

And as it turns out, we're *not* looking at a UFO — or, uh, maybe an Unidentified Lunar Object — because there's a perfectly human explanation for the lunar apparition.

It turns out that the LRO's image was photobombed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), otherwise known as Danuri, which is "traveling in nearly parallel orbits," according to a [NASA statement](<https://www.nasa.gov/missions/lro/nasas-lro-finds-photo-op-as-it-zips-past-skoreas-danuri-moon-orbiter/>).

Despite their similar orbits, it still took impeccable timing to catch a glimpse of the spacecraft — an engineering feat in and of itself.

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/m1464309505l-newcal-echo-crop1-512raw.webp>)

## Moon Blink

Danrui launched in August 2022, becoming South Korea's [first Moon mission](<https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/kplo>). The spacecraft, which entered lunar orbit in December 2022, is designed to help plan future missions to the lunar poles. It was also used to [demonstrate a "lunar internet](<https://spacenews.com/south-koreas-danuri-orbiter-demonstrates-space-internet-en-route-to-moon/>)," which is a delay-tolerant network that could one day allow landed assets to communicate with Earth.

Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center "needed exquisite timing in pointing LROC to the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of Danuri," per NASA.

The reason why Danuri appears as a tiny sliver — rather than a conventional-looking spacecraft with two solar panels and an antenna — is because the LRO's camera exposure time was extremely short at just 0.338 milliseconds. As a result, Danuri appears "smeared to ten times its size in the opposite direction of travel because of the relative high travel velocities between the two spacecraft," according to NASA.

Apart from freezing an orbiting spacecraft in time, the LRO has also [spotted remains](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-impact-israel-crashed-moon-lander>) of [crashed lunar landers](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-spotted-remains-japanese-moon-lander>). Earlier this year, it even [shot and bounced a laser off](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-probe-shoots-indian-moon-lander-laser>) India's Vikram lander in an effort to improve future landers' positioning systems.

Last year, Danuri's NASA-developed ShadowCam [spotted the LRO](<https://www.shadowcam.asu.edu/images/1299>) in a perfect role swap, showing the spacecraft's [behind perfectly reflecting](<https://www.shadowcam.asu.edu/images/1299>) the Sun's rays.

**More on the LRO:** *[NASA Probe Shoots Indian Moon Lander With Laser](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-probe-shoots-indian-moon-lander-laser>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)