P1 3 A Mistaken Man-Made Moon

Abstract

There are currently around 15,000 satellites orbiting Earth, along with tens of thousands of other man-made objects; the total mass of these objects is estimated to be around 14,700 tonnes. It is calculated that, even in a worst case scenario of these objects accumulating near or on the surface of the Moon, the total disturbance in the Moon’s orbital period would be 1.42 ×10⁻⁷ s. For a 1 second change in the orbital period, a total mass of 1.04 ×10¹⁴ kg would be required, 6 million times more mass than is currently orbiting the planet.