NASA predicts the next decade will see over 100 new lunar missions, equaling or exceeding all missions previously flown to the moon. This unprecedented surge in lunar activity raises concerns about protecting the historical artifacts already scattered across the lunar surface.
Since the Soviet Union's Luna 2 probe became the first human-made object to reach the moon in 1959, decades of space exploration have left their mark. Today, over 100 metric tons of human-made material rest on the moon's surface, ranging from advanced cameras and sensors to human waste from early missions.