Scientists are proposing the creation of designated spacecraft graveyards on the moon, as a surge in lunar satellite launches threatens to litter the barren surface with dangerous debris.
The Looming Lunar Litter Problem
The number of satellites orbiting the moon is set to increase dramatically over the next two decades, driven by plans for moon bases, mining operations, and scientific installations. This activity will be supported by constellations of satellites providing essential positioning, navigation, and communications services. However, a critical problem emerges when these satellites reach the end of their operational life. With no atmosphere to burn them up, operators have few disposal options other than steering them into a controlled crash landing.
"These satellites will have to be crash-landed on the moon, so it will potentially become a rubbish site," warned Dr Fionagh Thomson, a senior research fellow at Durham University. She convened an expert panel on the issue at the Space-Comm meeting in Glasgow last December.
Risks to Science and Heritage
The uncontrolled scattering of satellite parts poses significant threats. Researchers fear that scores of dead satellites raining down could damage future lunar bases, sensitive scientific instruments, and historic sites like the first astronaut footprints. Impacts at speeds of 1.2 miles per second will create intense vibrations, potentially disrupting experiments. The collisions will carve scars tens of metres long and kick up vast, abrasive dust clouds that could obscure telescopes and damage equipment.
"It’s not an immediate concern, given the surface area of the moon, but the more lunar satellites there are, the greater the chance that some may crash into scientifically or culturally sensitive locations," said Prof Ian Crawford of Birkbeck, University of London. "We do need a plan going forward."
Establishing Lunar Graveyard Zones
With more than 400 moon missions planned in the next twenty years—including NASA's Lunar Gateway station and Artemis base camp, plus a base planned by China and Russia—solutions are urgently needed. The European Space Agency will launch its Lunar Pathfinder satellite next year as a testbed for its Moonlight constellation, slated for operation by 2030.
Sarah Boyall, head of the Office of Regulation at the UK Space Agency, confirmed that international bodies like the UN's Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (Atlac) and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) are working to establish best practices. Designated graveyard zones are a leading contender, where operators would be required to crash old satellites into specific spots or giant craters to contain debris and dust.
"Establishing graveyard zones on the moon is the most practical solution," said Ben Hooper, senior project manager for Lunar Pathfinder at Surrey-based SSTL. Charles Cranstoun of the ESA’s Moonlight programme office added that future crashes would be controlled and directed "in specified zones" to avoid important sites.
Interestingly, these planned crashes could also serve science. Emeritus Professor John Zarnecki of the Open University noted that the impacts from known objects at known locations would generate valuable seismic data, offering "a fantastic experiment in seismometry" to shed light on the moon's internal structure.
