List of artificial objects on the Moon
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The following table is a partial list of artificial objects on the surface of the Moon. They have been abandoned after having served their purpose. The list does not include smaller objects such as the retroreflectors. Nor does it include several commemorative or personal objects left there by Apollo astronauts, such as the golf balls from Alan Shepard's lunar driving practice during Apollo 14, or the statuette left by the crew of Apollo 15.
Five third stages of rockets of the Apollo program form the heaviest pieces. While humankind has left over 170,000 kg of Earth on the Moon, only 382 kg of the Moon has been returned to Earth by Apollo and Luna missions.
Artificial objects on the Moon that are still in use are the retroreflectors for the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment left there by Apollo astronauts.
Note that objects listed as being higher than 90 degrees east or west are on the far side of the moon. These include Ranger 4, Lunar Orbiter 1, Lunar Orbiter 2 and Lunar Orbiter 3.
| Artificial object | Nationality | Launched | Mass (kg) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Luna 2
 |
USSR | 1959 | 390.2 | 29.1°N 0°W |
Ranger 4
 |
United States | 1962 | 331 | 12.9°S 129.1°W |
Ranger 6
 |
United States | 1964 | 381 | 9.4°N 21.5°E |
| Ranger 7
|
United States | 1964 | 365.7 | 10.6°S 20.61°W |
Luna 5
 |
USSR | 1965 | 1474 | 1.6°S 25°W |
| Luna 7
|
USSR | 1965 | 1504 | 9.8°N 47.8°W |
| Luna 8
|
USSR | 1965 | 1550 | 9.6°N 62°W |
| Ranger 8
|
United States | 1965 | 367 | 2.64°N 24.77°E |
| Ranger 9
|
United States | 1965 | 367 | 12.79°S 2.36°W |
Luna 9
 |
USSR | 1966 | 1580 | 7.13°N 64.37°W |
Luna 10 (1)
 |
USSR | 1966 | 1600 | ? |
Luna 11 (1)
 |
USSR | 1966 | 1640 | ? |
| Luna 12 (1)
|
USSR | 1966 | 1670 | ? |
| Luna 13
|
USSR | 1966 | 1700 | 18.87°N 63.05°W |
Surveyor 1
 |
United States | 1966 | 270 | 2.45°S 43.22°W |
Lunar Orbiter 1
 |
United States | 1966 | 386 | 6.35°N 160.72°E |
| Surveyor 2
|
United States | 1966 | 292 | 4.0°S 11.0°W |
| Lunar Orbiter 2
|
United States | 1966 | 385 | 2.9°N 119.1°E |
| Lunar Orbiter 3
|
United States | 1966 | 386 | 14.6°N 97.7°W |
Surveyor 3
 |
United States | 1967 | 281 | 2.99°S 23.34°W |
| Lunar Orbiter 4 (1)
|
United States | 1967 | 386 | ? |
| Surveyor 4
|
United States | 1967 | 283 | 0.45°N 1.39°W |
Explorer 35 (IMP-E) (1)
 |
United States | 1967 | 104.3 | ? |
| Lunar Orbiter 5
|
United States | 1967 | 386 | 2.8°S 83.1°W |
| Surveyor 5
|
United States | 1967 | 281 | 1.42°N 23.2°E |
| Surveyor 6
|
United States | 1967 | 282 | 0.53°N 1.4°W |
| Surveyor 7
|
United States | 1967 | 290 | 40.86°S 11.47°W |
| Luna 14 (1)
|
USSR | 1968 | 1670 | ? |
Apollo 10 LM descent stage (1)
 |
United States | 1969 | 2211 | ? |
Luna 15
 |
USSR | 1969 | 2718 | ? |
| Apollo 11 LM ascent stage (2) | United States | 1969 | 2184 | ? |
| Apollo 11 LM descent stage | United States | 1969 | 2034 | 0° 40' 26.69"N 23° 28' 22.69" E |
| Apollo 12 LM ascent stage (2) | United States | 1969 | 2164 | 3.94°S 21.2°W |
Apollo 12 LM descent stage
 |
United States | 1969 | 2211 | 2.99°S 23.34°W |
| Luna 16 descent stage (3) | USSR | 1970 | < 5727 | 0.68°S 56.3°E |
Luna 17 & Lunokhod 1
  |
USSR | 1970 | 5600 | 38.28°N 35.0°W |
Apollo 13 S-IVB (S-IVB-508)
 |
United States | 1970 | 13454 | 2.75°S 27.86°W |
| Luna 18 | USSR | 1971 | 5600 | 3.57°N 56.5°E |
| Luna 19 (1) | USSR | 1971 | 5600 | ? |
| Apollo 14 S-IVB (S-IVB-509) | United States | 1971 | 14016 | 8.09°S 26.02°W |
| Apollo 14 LM ascent stage (2) | United States | 1971 | 2132 | 3.42°S 29.67°W |
| Apollo 14 LM descent stage | United States | 1971 | 2144 | 3° 38' 43.08"S 17° 28' 16.90" W |
| Apollo 15 S-IVB (S-IVB-510) | United States | 1971 | 14036 | 1.51°S 17.48°W |
| Apollo 15 LM ascent stage (2) | United States | 1971 | 2132 | 26.36°N 0.25°E |
| Apollo 15 LM descent stage | United States | 1971 | 2809 | 26° 7' 55.99"N 3° 38' 1.90" E |
Apollo 15 Lunar Rover
 |
United States | 1971 | 462 | 26.08°N 3.66°E |
| Apollo 15 subsatellite (1) | United States | 1971 | 36 | ? |
| Luna 20 descent stage (3) | USSR | 1972 | < 5727 | 3.53°N 56.55°E |
| Apollo 16 S-IVB (S-IVB-511) | United States | 1972 | 14002 | 1.3°N 23.9°W |
| Apollo 16 LM ascent stage (2) | United States | 1972 | 2138 | ? |
| Apollo 16 LM descent stage | United States | 1972 | 2765 | 8° 58' 22.84"S 15° 30' 0.68" E |
| Apollo 16 subsatellite (1) | United States | 1972 | 36 | ? |
| Apollo 16 Lunar Rover | United States | 1972 | 462 | 8.97°S 15.51°E |
| Apollo 17 S-IVB (S-IVB-512) | United States | 1972 | 13960 | 4.21°S 22.31°W |
| Apollo 17 LM ascent stage (2) | United States | 1972 | 2150 | 19.96°N 30.50°E |
| Apollo 17 LM descent stage | United States | 1972 | 2798 | 20° 11' 26.88"N 30° 46' 18.05" E |
| Apollo 17 Lunar Rover | United States | 1972 | 462 | 20.17°N 30.77°W |
Luna 21 & Lunokhod 2 (4)
 |
USSR | 1973 | 4850 | 25.85°N 30.45°E |
| Explorer 49 (RAE-B) (1) | United States | 1973 | 328 | ? |
| Luna 22 (1) | USSR | 1974 | 4000 | ? |
| Luna 23 | USSR | 1974 | 5600 | ~12°N ~62°E |
Luna 24 descent stage (3)
 |
USSR | 1976 | < 5800 | 12.75°N 62.2°E |
Hiten Orbiter (Hagoromo) (5)
 |
Japan | 1990 | 12 | ? |
| Hiten
|
Japan | 1993 | 143 | 34.3°S 55.6°E |
Lunar Prospector
 |
United States | 1998 | 126 | 87.7°S 42.1°E |
SMART-1
 |
European Space Agency | 2006 | 307 | 34.24°S 46.12°W |
| Total estimated dry mass (kg) | 170,996 | |||
[edit] Notes
- Spacecraft was in lunar orbit but is assumed to have decayed from orbit and crashed into the moon, location unknown.
- The ascent stage of Apollo 10 was commanded to fire its engine, left lunar orbit and entered solar orbit. The ascent stage of Apollo 11 was left in orbit. Its orbit decayed and it crashed onto the moon, location unknown. The Apollo 16 ascent stage failed to crash into moon when commanded. It decayed from orbit at a later date and also crashed at an unknown location. The ascent stages of the remaining successful missions (Apollo 12, 14, 15, and 17) were each crashed onto the moon deliberately. Apollo 13's complete Apollo Lunar Module burned up in Earth's atmosphere after having served as a lifeboat during the aborted mission.
- Luna program sample return mission; mass listed is for both ascent and descent stages, though only the descent stage was left on the moon
- Lander and rover weighed 1814 kg; the rest assumed to have decayed in orbit and impacted the moon
- Was ejected into lunar orbit in 1990, assumed to have decayed from orbit.
