The Abomination of Single-Use Lunar Landers: Developing Lunar Lander Database and Reimagining Argonaut's System Architecture with a Lunar Surface Recycling Vision
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: With the accelerating return to the Moon under programs like Artemis and increasing international investment in lunar exploration, the issue of surface sustainability—specifically lunar lander end-of-life (EOL) practices—has emerged as a critical gap in current space system design. This report addresses the overlooked implications of single-use lunar landers by exploring how existing platforms, particularly ESA’s Argonaut lander, could be reimagined to support future surface recycling infrastructure. A comprehensive database of historical and upcoming lunar landers was developed to analyze trends in EOL protocols, design trends, and material composition. From this, key insights were drawn to inform both near-term safety assessments and long-term recycling potential. The study then focuses on system architecture redesign, applying model-based systems engineering methods to map functional and logical changes needed to make Argonaut compatible with a hypothetical lunar recycling station. A detailed preprocessing plan for lander components was also developed, outlining steps from disassembly through cleaning, classification, and material-specific recycling. Key design recommendations are proposed to improve future landers' reusability and recyclability, including - designing with multi-mission usability in mind and structured to enable seamless handling by robotic systems and automated sorting machinery. By integrating EOL considerations into system-level thinking, this project lays foundational guidelines for future lunar infrastructure that supports circular economy principles. While recycling on the Moon is not yet a practical reality, this research frames the conceptual and technical groundwork needed to transition toward sustainable lunar surface operations.
Author: Karkera, Sanjana
Institution: Cranfield University
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6949775663
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