Carlos Solis
Some areas of the Moon could become graveyards for spacecraft. Defunct spacecraft may end up crashing far from sites of scientific or historical importance.
In the next two decades, the number of satellites orbiting the Moon is projected to surge. Space agencies and private companies are building lunar bases, attempting to extract valuable minerals, and deploying scientific instruments in this barren landscape.
However, when these satellites run out of fuel, operators may have no choice but to drop them onto the Moon’s surface. “These satellites will have to be discarded on the Moon, so it could potentially turn into a junkyard,” says Fiona Thompson, a senior research fellow at Durham University in the UK.
Researchers worry that crashes by many defunct satellites could damage structures, scientific instruments, historical sites — including the first astronauts’ footprints — and pristine areas of scientific interest.
Because impacts happen at high speed, collisions with the surface will cause strong vibrations that could disrupt sensitive instruments planned for the Moon. The scars created by these impacts are expected to stretch for tens of meters and generate huge clouds of abrasive dust that will hinder telescope observations.
“The more lunar satellites there are, the higher the likelihood that some of them may crash into objects of significant scientific or cultural importance. We really need a plan for the future,” said Professor Ian Crawford of Birkbeck, University of London.
Scientists regularly use Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of defunct satellites. Each year, thousands of such satellites burn up upon re-entering the atmosphere. But since the Moon lacks an atmosphere, lunar satellite operators need alternative solutions.
What options are lunar satellite operators considering?
Over the next two decades, more than 400 lunar missions are planned. Lunar satellite operators have three main options. If equipped with a propulsion system and sufficient fuel, a satellite can launch and enter solar orbit. However, this is expensive.
A satellite can also move into a more distant lunar orbit, but the Moon’s uneven gravitational field complicates this maneuver. Ultimately, a satellite can be crashed into the lunar surface, but this requires very careful planning.
Sarah Boyall, a research fellow at the UK Space Agency, said the UN’s Advisory Group on Lunar Activities (ATLAC) and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) are developing advanced methods for disposing of lunar satellites.
Spacecraft graveyards are a prioritized disposal option, as reported by The Guardian. “Creating burial zones for spacecraft on the Moon is the most practical solution,” said Ben Hooper, senior project manager for Lunar Pathfinder at the satellite manufacturer SSTL. He says these areas would be separated from regions reserved for future missions and scientific research.
The Moon still holds many mysteries, and recent missions have returned unexpected discoveries.
Photo: Pixabay.com
