Patches of the moon to become spacecraft graveyards, say researchers

Nasa’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite failed at the start of its two-year mission to map the moon’s water. Photograph: Lockheed Martin Space/Nasa

Patches of the moon are destined to become spacecraft graveyards where dead lunar satellites and other defunct hardware can be crashed into the ground, far away from sites of cultural and scientific importance, researchers say.

The number of satellites circling the moon is set to soar in the next two decades as space agencies and private companies build moon bases and dabble with mining operations and constructing scientific instruments on the barren terrain.