NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has captured images of the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) impact center. The spacecraft has discovered a new crater on the moon’s surface from the impact of NASA’s LADEE mission.

Mark Robinson, LROC principal investigator from Arizona State University in Tempe, said in a statement, “The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team recently developed a new computer tool to search Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) before and after image pairs for new craters, the LADEE impact event provided a fun test.” He continued, “As it turns there were several small surface changes found in the predicted area of the impact, the biggest and most distinctive was within 968 feet (295 meters) of the spot estimated by the LADEE operations team. What fun!”

The LADEE mission concluded on April 18, 2014, with the orbiter’s planned impact into the eastern rim of Sundman V crater on the far side of the moon.

The spacecraft’s engines started up on April 11, 2014, to conduct a final orbital maintenance maneuver and prepare for its impact on the far side of the moon, away from the Apollo landing sites. Throughout the seven-day period, LADEE’s orbit slowed and it flew very close to the surface and the walls of lunar craters and mountain ridges to give the research team an opportunity to collect valuable science data.

According to NASA, LRO is a robotic mission with a goal of mapping the moon’s surface. After a year of exploration, the mission was extended with a unique set of science objectives.