Space junk is on the rise, and no one is in charge of cleaning it up

Enlarge / An artist's conception of space junk orbiting Earth. (credit: imaginima)

There’s a lot of trash on the Moon right now—including nearly 100 bags of human waste—and with countries around the globe traveling to the Moon, there’s going to be a lot more, both on the lunar surface and in Earth’s orbit.

In August 2023, Russia’s Luna-25 probe crashed into the Moon’s surface, while India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed in the southern polar region, making India the fourth country to land on the Moon.

Students celebrating and dancing after the Chandrayaan3 Vikram Lander successfully landed on the Moon at Kartvayapath on August 23, 2023, in New Delhi, India. (credit: Hindustan Times via Getty)

With more countries landing on the Moon, people back on Earth will have to think about what happens to all the landers, waste, and miscellaneous debris left on the lunar surface and in orbit.