List of lunar probes

This is a list of robotic space probes that have flown by, impacted, orbited or landed on the Moon for the purpose of lunar exploration, as well as probes launched toward the Moon that failed to reach their target.

Surveyor 3 on the Moon.
The first image returned by Luna 3 showed the far side of the Moon

The crewed Apollo missions are listed at List of missions to the Moon.

Major programs encompassing several probes include:

Key edit

Colour key:

  – Mission or flyby completed successfully (or partially successfully)     – Failed or cancelled mission
  – Mission en route or in progress (including mission extensions)  – Planned mission
  • means "tentatively identified", as classified by NASA [1]. These are Cold War-era Soviet missions, mostly failures, about which few or no details have been officially released. The information given may be speculative.[needs update]
  • Date is the date of:
  • closest encounter (flybys)
  • impact (impactors)
  • orbital insertion to end of mission, whether planned or premature (orbiters)
  • landing to end of mission, whether planned or premature (landers)
  • launch (missions that never got underway due to failure at or soon after launch)
In cases which do not fit any of the above, the event to which the date refers is stated. Note that as a result of this scheme missions are not always listed in order of launch.
  • In the case of flybys (such as gravity assists) that are incidental to the main mission, "success" indicates the successful completion of the flyby, not necessarily that of the main mission.

Lunar probes by date edit

1958–1960 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Pioneer 0 DoD17 August 1958orbiterfailurefirst attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; launch vehicle failure; maximum altitude 16 km ABLE1
Luna E-1 No.1 USSR23 September 1958impactorfailurelaunch vehicle failure[2]
Pioneer 1 NASA/
DoD
11 October 1958orbiterfailuresecond stage premature shutdown; maximum altitude 113,800 km; some data returned 1958-007A
Luna E-1 No.2 USSR12 October 1958impactorfailurelaunch vehicle failure[3]
Pioneer 2 NASA/
STL
8 November 1958orbiterfailurethird stage failure; maximum altitude 1,550 km; some data returned PION2
Luna E-1 No.3 USSR4 December 1958impactorfailurelaunch vehicle failure[4]
Pioneer 3 NASA/
DoD
6 December 1958flybyfailurefuel depletion; maximum altitude 102,360 km; some data returned 1958-008A
Luna 1 USSR4 January 1959flybypartial successfirst spacecraft in the vicinity of the Moon (flew within 5,995 km, but probably an intended impactor)1959-012A
Pioneer 4 NASA/
DoD
4 March 1959flybypartial successachieved distant flyby; first US probe to enter solar orbit 1959-013A
Luna E-1A No.1 USSR18 June 1959impactorfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit[5]
Luna 2 USSR14 September 1959impactorsuccessfirst impact on Moon1959-014A
Pioneer P-1 NASA24 September 1959?orbiter?failuredesignation sometimes given to a failed launch or launchpad explosion during testing; conflicting information between sources
Luna 3 USSR6 October 1959flybysuccessfirst images from the lunar farside1959-008A
Pioneer P-3 NASA26 November 1959orbiterfailuredisintegrated shortly after launch PIONX
Luna 1960A USSR15 April 1960flybyfailurefailed to attain correct trajectory[6]
Luna 1960B USSR16 April 1960flybyfailurelaunch vehicle failure[7]
Pioneer P-30 NASA25 September 1960orbiterfailuresecond stage failure; failed to reach Earth orbit PIONY
Pioneer P-31 NASA15 December 1960orbiterfailurefirst stage failure PIONZ

1962–1965 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Ranger 3 NASA28 January 1962impactorfailuremissed target 1962-001A
Ranger 4 NASA26 April 1962impactorfailurehit the lunar farside; no data returned 1962-012A
Ranger 5 NASA21 October 1962impactorfailurepower failure, missed target 1962-055A
Sputnik 25 USSR5 January 1963landerfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit1963-001A
Luna E-6 No.3 USSR2 February 1963lander?failurefailed to reach Earth orbit[8]
Luna 4 USSR5 April 1963lander?failuremissed target, became Earth satellite1963-008B
Ranger 6 NASA2 February 1964impactorpartial successimpacted, but no pictures returned due to power failure 1964-007A
Luna 1964A USSR21 March 1964landerfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Ranger 7 NASA31 July 1964impactorsuccessreturned pictures until impact 1964-041A
Ranger 8 NASA20 February 1965impactorsuccessreturned pictures until impact 1965-010A
Cosmos 60 USSR12 March 1965landerfailurefailed to leave Earth orbit1965-018A
Ranger 9 NASA24 March 1965impactorsuccessTV broadcast of live pictures until impact 1965-023A
Luna 1965A USSR10 April 1965landerfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit?[9]
Luna 5 USSR12 May 1965landerfailurecrashed into Moon1965-036A
Luna 6 USSR8 June 1965landerfailuremissed Moon1965-044A
Zond 3 USSR20 July 1965flybysuccesspossibly originally intended as a Mars probe, but target changed after launch window missed1965-056A
Luna 7 USSR7 October 1965landerfailurecrashed into Moon1965-077A
Luna 8 USSR6 December 1965landerfailurecrashed into Moon1965-099A

1966–1967 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Luna 9 USSR3 February 1966 –
6 February 1966
landersuccessfirst soft landing; first images from the surface1966-006A
Cosmos 111 USSR1 March 1966orbiterfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit1966-017A
Luna 10 USSR3 April 1966 –
30 May 1966
orbitersuccessfirst artificial satellite of the Moon1966-027A
Luna 1966A USSR30 April 1966orbiterfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit[10]
Surveyor 1 NASA2 June 1966landersuccessfirst US soft landing; Surveyor program performed various tests in support of forthcoming human landings 1966-045A
Explorer 33 NASA1 July 1966 –
15 September 1971
orbiterpartial successstudied interplanetary plasma, cosmic rays, magnetic fields and solar X rays; failed to attain lunar orbit as intended, but achieved mission objectives from Earth orbit 1966-058A
Lunar Orbiter 1 NASA14 August 1966 –
29 October 1966
orbitersuccessphotographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission 1966-073A
Luna 11 USSR28 August 1966 –
1 October 1966
orbitersuccessgamma-ray and X-ray-based observations of Moon's composition; gravity, radiation and meteorite studies1966-078A
Surveyor 2 NASA23 September 1966landerfailurecrashed into Moon 1966-084A
Luna 12 USSR25 October 1966 –
19 January 1967
orbitersuccesslunar surface photography1966-094A
Lunar Orbiter 2 NASA10 November 1966 –
11 October 1967
orbitersuccessphotographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission 1966-100A
Luna 13 USSR24 December 1966landersuccessTV pictures of lunar landscape; soil measurements1966-116A
Lunar Orbiter 3 NASA8 February 1967 –
9 October 1967
orbitersuccessphotographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission 1967-008A
Surveyor 3 NASA20 April 1967 –
4 May 1967
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings. First lander visited by a later crewed mission (Apollo 12) that even brought its components back to Earth. 1967-035A
Lunar Orbiter 4 NASAMay–October 1967orbitersuccesslunar photographic survey 1967-041A
Explorer 35 NASAJuly 1967 –
24 June 1973
orbitersuccessstudies of interplanetary plasma, magnetic fields, energetic particles and solar X rays 1967-070A
Surveyor 4 NASA17 July 1967landerfailurecrashed into Moon 1967-068A
Lunar Orbiter 5 NASA5 August 1967 –
31 January 1968
orbitersuccesslunar photographic survey; intentionally impacted after completion of mission 1967-075A
Surveyor 5 NASA11 September 1967 –
17 December 1967
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings 1967-084A
Zond 1967A USSR28 September 1967failurelunar capsule test flight; launch failure [11]
Surveyor 6 NASA10 November 1967 –
14 December 1967
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings 1967-112A
Zond 1967B USSR22 November 1967failurelunar capsule test flight; launch failure [12]

1968–1970 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Surveyor 7 NASA10 January 1968 –
21 February 1968
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings; fifth and final Surveyor mission to achieve soft landing 1968-001A
Luna 1968A USSR7 February 1968orbiter?failurefailed to reach Earth orbit[13]
Zond 4 USSR2 March 1968 (launch)lunar programme flight test, directed away from Moon, either intentionally or unintentionally 1968-013A
Luna 14 USSR10 April 1968 – ?orbitersuccesstests of radio communications technologies; lunar mascon studies1968-027A
Zond 1968A USSR23 April 1968flyby?failurelaunch failure [14]
Zond 5 USSR18 September 1968flybysuccessbioscience experiments; returned to soft landing on Earth 1968-076A
Zond 6 USSR14 November 1968flybysuccesscosmic-ray, micrometeoroid and bioscience studies; returned to soft landing on Earth 1968-101A
Zond 1969A USSR20 January 1969flybyfailurelaunch aborted [15]
Luna 1969A USSR19 February 1969landerfailurelaunch vehicle failure[16]
  Lunokhod 201roverfailure
Zond L1S-1 USSR21 February 1969orbiterfailurelaunch vehicle failure [17]
Luna 1969B USSR15 April 1969sample return?failurelaunch failure[18]
Luna 1969C USSR14 June 1969sample returnfailurelaunch failure[19]
Zond L1S-2 USSR3 July 1969orbiterfailurelaunch failure [20]
Luna 15 USSR21 July 1969sample return?failure?completed 52 lunar orbits then crash-landed1969-058A
Zond 7 USSR11 August 1969flybysuccessreturned to soft landing on Earth 1969-067A
Cosmos 300 USSR23 September 1969sample returnfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit1969-080A
Cosmos 305 USSR22 October 1969sample returnfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit1969-092A
Luna 1970A USSR6 February 1970sample return?failurelaunch vehicle failure[21]
Luna 1970B USSR19 February 1970orbiter?failurelaunch vehicle failure[22]
Luna 16 USSR20 September 1970sample returnsuccessfirst robotic sample return1970-072A
Zond 8 USSR24 October 1970flybysuccessreturned to soft landing on Earth 1970-088A
Luna 17 USSR17 November 1970 –
4 October 1971
landersuccessdeployed rover1970-095A
  Lunokhod 1roversuccessfirst robotic rover; travelled over 10 km1970-095D

1971–1976 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Luna 18 USSR11 September 1971lander/sample return?failurecrashed into Moon1971-073A
Luna 19 USSR3 October 1971 –
October 1972
orbitersuccess1971-082A
Luna 20 USSR21 February 1972sample returnsuccesssecond successful robotic sample return1972-007A
Soyuz L3 USSR23 November 1972orbiterfailurelaunch failure [23]
Luna 21 USSR15 January 1973 –
May 1973?
landersuccessdeployed rover1973-001A
  Lunokhod 2roversuccesssecond robotic rover; travelled 37 km
Explorer 49 NASA15 June 1973 –
June 1975
orbitersuccessradio astronomy observations; last US lunar mission until 1994 1973-039A
Mariner 10 NASANovember 1973flybysuccessen route to Venus and Mercury 1973-085A
Luna 22 USSR2 June 1974 –
November 1974
orbitersuccess1974-037A
Luna 23 USSR6 November 1974sample returnfailuredamaged on landing, sample return failed1974-084A
Luna 1975A USSR16 October 1975sample returnfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit[24]
Luna 24 USSR18 August 1976sample returnsuccessthird and final successful sample return in Luna programme1976-081A

1983–1998 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
ICE (formerly ISEE-3) NASA22 December 1983flybysuccessgravity assist en route to comet flybys 1978-079A
Hiten ISASMarch 1990 – October 1991flyby (approached 10 times)successin Moon-crossing Earth orbit from January 1990, later transferred to lunar orbit after failure of Hagoromo; intentionally impacted on Moon at end of mission; first Japanese probe (and non-USSR/US probe) to enter lunar orbit 1990-007A
February 1992 – April 1993orbitersuccess
  Hagoromo ISASMarch 1990orbiterfailurereleased by Hiten into lunar orbit, but transmitter failed and orbit never confirmed
GEOTAIL ISAS / NASASeptember 1992 – November 1994flyby (approached 14 times)successgravity assist en route magnetotail around L2 / finally deployed into high Earth orbit[25]
WIND NASA1 December 1994 and 27 December 1994flybysuccessgravity assists en route to Earth–Sun L1 Lagrangian point 1994-071A
Clementine BMDO/
NASA
February – June 1994orbiterpartial successlunar and Earth observations and component testing; planned Geographos flyby failed 1994-004A
HGS-1 Hughes Global ServicesMay/June 1998Flyby (orbital correction)errant communications satellite, flew within 6,200 kilometers of Moon during orbit correction manoeuvres1997-086A
Lunar Prospector NASAJanuary 1998 –
July 1999
orbitersuccesslunar surface mapping; intentionally impacted into polar crater at end of mission to test for liberation of water vapour (not detected) 1998-001A
Nozomi ISAS24 September 1998flybysuccessgravity assists on planned mission to Mars1998-041A
18 December 1998flybysuccess

2001–2009 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
WMAP NASA30 July 2001flybysuccessgravity assist en route to Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point 2001-027A
SMART-1 ESA13 November 2004 –
3 September 2006
orbitersuccesstechnology testbed and lunar geological studies; intentionally impacted at end of mission; first European probe to orbit the Moon2003-043C
STEREO A NASA15 December 2006flybysuccessgravity assist to enter a heliocentric orbit 2006-047A
STEREO B NASA15 December 2006 and 21 January 2007flybysuccessgravity assists to enter a heliocentric orbit2006-047B
SELENE
(Kaguya)
JAXA3 October 2007 – 10 June 2009orbitersuccessmineralogical, geographical, magnetic and gravitational observations 2007-039A
Okina
(Relay Star)
9 October 2007 – 12 February 2009Kaguya subsatellitesuccessrelay for Kaguya's Far Side operations
Ouna
(VRAD)
12 October 2007 – 29 June 2009Kaguya subsatellitesuccess (still in orbit)Very Long Baseline Interferometry
Chang'e 1 CNSA5 November 2007 – 1 March 2009orbitersuccess3D lunar mapping and geological observations; first Chinese probe to orbit a body besides Earth; impacted to collect data in preparation for future soft landings 2007-051A [26][27]
Chandrayaan-1 ISRO8 November 2008 – 29 August 2009orbitersuccesshigh resolution 3D mapping, search water in polar region (first detection of water) and spectral analysis of the Moon's surface and inner compositions[1] 2008-052A [28] Archived 2014-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
Moon Impact Probe (MIP) ISRO14 November 2008impactorsuccesstest and demonstrate targeting technologies for future soft landings, scientific observation from close range[29]
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA23 June 2009 –orbiterin orbitsurvey of lunar resources and identification of possible landing sites 2009-031A
LCROSS NASA23 June 2009flybysuccessconsisted of the Shepherding Spacecraft and Centaur upper stage (Earth Departure Upper Stage) 2009-031B [30]
  LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft9 October 2009impactorsuccessanalyzed upper-stage impact plume for traces of water liberated from the Moon's surface
  LCROSS Earth Departure Upper Stage9 October 2009impactorsuccess

2010–2019 edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Chang'e 2 CNSA1 October 2010 – 27 August 2011orbitersuccesscapture high resolution images of the landing zone for Chang'e 3, measure and analyze composition of the surface. Then sent to L2 and on to an asteroid flyby. 2010-050A [31]
ARTEMIS P1 NASA2 July 2011 –orbiterin orbitto study the effect of the solar wind on the lunar surface 2007-004B [32]
ARTEMIS P2 NASA17 July 2011 –orbiterin orbitto study the effect of the solar wind on the lunar surface2007-004C [33]
GRAIL A
(Ebb)
NASA31 December 2011 – 17 December 2012orbitersuccessmapped the Moon's gravitational field; intentionally impacted at end of mission 2011-046A [34]
GRAIL B
(Flow)
NASA1 January 2012 – 12 December 2012orbitersuccessmapped the Moon's gravitational field; intentionally impacted at end of mission2011-046B [35]
LADEE NASA6 September 2013 – 8 April 2014orbitersuccessdesigned to study the lunar exosphere and dust. Intentionally impacted on far side of Moon. 2013-047A
Chang'e 3 CNSA1 December 2013 -landerin progresssoft-landed on the Moon and deployed Yutu rover on 14 December 2013; one functioning instrument as of 1 September 2020 [36]2013-070A [37]
  Yutu CNSA1 December 2013 –
2016?
roversuccesssurvived multiple lunar nights, became immobile 42 days after landing 2013-070C
Chang'e 5-T1 CNSA28 October 2014flybysuccessTechnology demonstrator for Chang'e 5 mission; after separating the Xiaofei reentry capsule, the service module eventually entered lunar orbit to conduct rendezvous exercises2014-065A [38]
10 January 2015 –orbiterin progress
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission LuxspaceOctober 2014flyby/impactor (post mission)successprivately funded payload attached to a Long March 3C rocket third stage; its dosimeter measured ionizing radiation in space. Unintentional Impact on 4 March 2022.[39][40]
TESS NASA17 May 2018flybysuccessgravity assist to achieve a lunar resonant high Earth orbit 2018-038A
Queqiao CNSA25 May 2018flybysuccessUsed a gravity assist en route to the Earth–Moon L2 Lagrangian point. Currently serving as relay for Chang'e 4 lander and rover on the far side. 2018-045A
Longjiang-1 HIT25 May 2018orbiterfailuremalfunctioned after launch, became flyby2018-045B
Longjiang-2 HIT25 May 2018 – 31 July 2019orbitersuccessVery Long Baseline Interferometry, in orbit until 31 July 2019 when it was deliberately directed to crash onto the Moon.2018-045C
Chang'e 4 CNSA7 December 2018 –landerin progressFirst spacecraft to soft land on the far side of the Moon. 2018-103A
  Yutu-2roveractive
Beresheet SpaceIL22 February 2019 – 11 April 2019landerfailureFirst Israeli and privately funded lunar lander. Entered lunar orbit on 4 April, hard-landed on 11 April 2019.2019-009B [41]
Chandrayaan-2 ISRO22 July 2019 –orbiterin orbitobserve lunar geography and mineralogy, search for water molecules2019-042A
  Vikram ISRO6 September 2019landerfailurecrashed due to a software glitch[2]
  Pragyan ISRO7 September 2019rovernot deployedwas to be deployed from Vikram

2020–present edit

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Chang'e 5 CNSA16 December 2020sample returnsuccessRetrieved 1.731 kg of lunar sample and returned it to Earth 2020-087A[3]
  Chang'e 5 Lander CNSA30 November 2020 - 11 December 2020successObtained lunar sample and placed on ascent vehicle; conducted radar studies of underground structure
  Chang'e 5 Ascender CNSA3 December 2020 - 7 December 2020successTransferred lunar sample onto return capsule via lunar-orbit rendezvous; intentionally deorbited
  Chang'e 5 Orbiter CNSA9 September 2021flybysuccessExtended mission following separation of Chang'e 5 Returner; returned from Sun-Earth L1[4] to conduct lunar flyby[5]
  Chang'e 5 Orbiter CNSALate 2021 -orbiterin orbitFirst spacecraft to utilize Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) about Earth-Moon L1 and L2
CAPSTONE NASA14 November 2022[6]orbiter[7][8]in orbitLunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station. CAPSTONE
Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-002 NASA21 November 2022flybysuccessUncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and DRO orbit. ARTEMIS-1[9]
25 November 2022orbitersuccess
5 December 2022flybysuccess
LunaH-Map NASA21 November 2022 (flyby)orbiterfailureintended to perform engine burn to achieve a lunar orbit to search for evidence of lunar water ice inside permanently shadowed craters using its neutron detector. Orbit insertion failed possibly due to a struck valve. The mission was terminated after six month in solar orbit. LUNAH-MAP[10][11]
Lunar IceCube NASA21 November 2022 (flyby)orbiterfailureintended to perform engine burn to achieve a lunar orbit to use its infrared spectrometer to detect water and organic compounds in the lunar surface and exosphere. L-ICECUBE
EQUULEUS JAXA21 November 2022flybysuccessimage the Earth's plasmasphere, impact craters on the Moon's far side and L2 experiments.EQUULEUS
LunIR Lockheed Martin21 November 2022flybyfailureimage surface thermography, failed to observe the Moon due to faulty communication LUNIR[12]
NEA Scout NASA21 November 2022flybyfailureSolar sail intended to flyby a near-Earth asteroid. Communication failure. NEA-SCOUT
ArgoMoon ASI21 November 2022flybysuccessimage the ICPS and perform deep space Nanotechnology experiments. ARGOMOON
OMOTENASHI solid motor and orbiting module JAXA21 November 2022 (flyby)impactorfailureintentional impact after separation from surface probe. Prepares the trajectory for landing of surface probe. Communication failure, missed targetOMOTENASH
  OMOTENASHI surface probe JAXAsemi-hard landerfailureinflatable module attempting to land semi-hard at lunar surface. Communication failure, missed target
CuSP NASA21 November 2022flybysuccessmission to study particles and magnetic fields. Did lunar flyby due to launch trajectory. CUSP
BioSentinel NASA21 November 2022flybysuccessit contains yeast cards that will be rehydrated in space, designed to detect, measure, and compare the effects of deep space radiation. BIOSENTNL
Team Miles Fluid & Reason21 November 2022flybysuccessdemonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space.TEAMMILES
Danuri
(Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter)
KARI/
NASA
16 December 2022[13]orbiterin orbitLunar Orbiter by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) of South Korea. The orbiter, its science payload and ground control infrastructure are technology demonstrators. The orbiter will also be tasked with surveying lunar resources such as water ice, uranium, helium-3, silicon, and aluminium, and produce a topographic map to help select future lunar landing sites. KPLO
Hakuto-R Mission 1 ispaceApril 2023landerfailure[14]Lunar lander technology demonstration.HAKUTO-R1
  Rashid UAESA/MBRSCApril 2023roverLunar rover, part of the Emirates Lunar Mission.
  SORA-Q JAXA/Tomy/Doshisha UniversityApril 2023roverLunar rover technology demonstration.
Lunar Flashlight NASA11 December 2022 (launch)orbiterfailure[15][16]was to enter a near-rectilinear halo orbit; couldn't leave Earth orbit due to propulsion failures. L-FLASHLT
JUICE ESA14 April 2023 (launch)flybyen routewill fly by the Moon in August 2024 en route to Jupiter. [17]
Chandrayaan-3 ISRO14 July 2023 (launch)
5 August 2023 (orbit insertion)
Orbiterin orbitbring the lander from Earth parking orbit to pre-landing 100 km (62 mi) lunar orbit and study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit. CHANDRYN3
  Vikram ISRO23 August 2023landersuccessprimary objective is to redo Chandrayaan-2 landing which had failed. In-site observation & conducting experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand composition of the Moon.
  Pragyan ISRO23 August 2023roversuccessstowed inside lander. Demonstrating the rover’s loitering capabilities on the Moon. In-site observation and conducting experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand composition of the Moon.
  Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module ISROBetween 13 October and 10 November 20234 flybyssuccessExtended mission following lunar orbit operations to returning to Earth orbit
Luna 25 Roscosmos10 August 2023landerfailure[18]Launched 10 August 2023, orbit insertion 16 August 2023, crashed on lunar surface on 19 August 2023 following an anomalous orbital lowering maneuver. LUNA-25
SLIM JAXA19 January 2024gravity assist/landersuccess[19]Successfully demonstrated precision landing by landing within 100 m (330 ft) of its target spot.[20][21] Its solar cells were initially not generating electricity due to wrong attitude[22] but in ten days the Sun moved enough to temporarily provide power to the spacecraft.[23] SLIM
  LEV-1 JAXA19 January 2024roversuccessLunar rover with a hopping mechanism. Conducted six hops on lunar surface.[24]
  LEV-2 JAXA/Tomy/Doshisha University19 January 2024roversuccessLunar rover, reflight of the SORA-Q rover launched with the failed Hakuto-R Mission 1. Imaged SLIM lander on lunar surface.[25]
Peregrine Astrobotic Technology8 January 2024 (launch)landerfailureLunar lander selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services carrying a total of 25 payloads. Landing abandoned due to excessive propellant leak.[26] PEREGRN-1
  Colmena × 5 UNAM8 January 2024 (launch)roverfailureFive small robots that will be catapulted onto the lunar surface. Mission phased out along with landing of Peregrine lander due to excessive propellant leak.[27]
  Iris CMU8 January 2024 (launch)roverfailureLunar rover, will test small, lightweight rover mobility on the Moon, and collect scientific images for geological sciences. Mission phased out along with landing of Peregrine lander due to excessive propellant leak.[28]
IM-1 Odysseus Intuitive Machines22 February 2024landersuccessLunar lander selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services carrying a total of 6 payloads. IM-1-NOVA
  EagleCam Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University28 February 2024semi-hard landerfailureDeployable camera designed to attempt to capture the first third-person images of a lunar landing. Ejected post landing due to technical issues, failed to return images.[29]
DRO-A CAS13 March 2024 (launch)orbiterfailureYZ-1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecrafts into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit.[30]
DRO-Borbiterfailure
Queqiao-2 CNSA24 March 2024orbiterin orbitLunar far side relay satellite. QUEQIAO-2
  Tiandu-1 Deep Space Exploration Laboratoryorbiterin orbitwill test communications for future lunar satellite constellation technologies.
  Tiandu-2orbiterin orbit
Chang'e 6 CNSA3 May 2024sample returnoperational[31]First sample-return from the South Pole–Aitken basin on the far side of the Moon.[32][33] CHANG-E-6
[31][34]
  Chang'e 6 Lander CNSA1 June 2024 -successObtained lunar sample and placed on ascent vehicle; conducted radar studies of underground structure
  Chang'e 6 Ascender CNSA3 June 2024 - 7 June 2024successTransferred lunar sample to return capsule on 6 June 2024 after lunar-orbit rendezvous; deorbited[34]
  Chang'e 6 Mobile Camera CNSA3 May 2024successConduct infrared spectroscopy of lunar surface and imaged Chang'e 6 lander on lunar surface.[35]
  ICUBE-Q SUPARCO3 May 2024operationalPakistan's first lunar mission.

Future edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Chandrayaan-1 - ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  2. ^ How did Chandrayaan 2 fail? ISRO finally has the answer. Mahesh Guptan, The Week. 16 November 2019.
  3. ^ "A Chinese spacecraft is testing out a new orbit around the moon". SpaceNews. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  4. ^ "Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on extended mission to Sun-Earth Lagrange point". SpaceNews. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  5. ^ "China's Chang'e-5 orbiter is heading back to the moon". SpaceNews. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  6. ^ Figliozzi, Gianine (8 June 2022). "CAPSTONE Mission Launch No Longer Targeting June 13". NASA. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  7. ^ "NASA Funds CubeSat Pathfinder Mission to Unique Lunar Orbit". NASA (Press release). 13 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Rocket Lab to Launch NASA Funded Commercial Moon Mission from New Zealand". Rocket Lab. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  9. ^ Wall, Mike (November 21, 2022). "NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft aces close moon flyby in crucial engine burn". Space.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Wall, Mike (November 23, 2022). "Artemis 1 cubesat fails to fire engine as planned during moon flyby". Space.com. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "LunaH-Map Mission". 3 August 2023.
  12. ^ Lockheed Martin Space [@LMSpace] (December 8, 2022). "As a @LockheedMartin funded tech demo mission, LunIR's primary goal was to gain knowledge to support future exploration. While we ran into an unexpected issue with our radio signal and couldn't snap any pics of the Moon, we DID try something new, and here's what we learned" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ S.Korean Spaceflight [@KOR_Spaceflight] (July 28, 2022). "Danuri(KPLO) launch now scheduled for August 5th 08:08 KST, according to MSIT/KARI" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Komiya, Kantaro; Roulette, Joey (25 April 2023). "Japan's ispace assumes failure in bid to make first commercial moon landing". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  15. ^ "NASA ends Lunar Flashlight mission because of thruster problems". 15 May 2023.
  16. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (February 9, 2023). "Tiny NASA moon probe can't reach lunar orbit as planned". Space.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  17. ^ "JUICE – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer". European Space Agency. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  18. ^ Zak, Anatoly (19 August 2023). "Luna-Glob mission lifts off". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  19. ^ Jones, Andrew (19 January 2024). "Japan makes history with tense, successful moon landing". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  20. ^ Jones, Andrew (2024-01-22). "Japan's moon lander forced to power down but may yet be revived". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  21. ^ "SLIM Project Press Kit" (PDF). JAXA.
  22. ^ 小型月着陸実証機(SLIM)および小型プローブ(LEV)の月面着陸の結果・成果等 の記者会見, retrieved 2024-01-25
  23. ^ Jones, Andrew (29 January 2024). "SLIM moon lander revived after solar power setback". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  24. ^ 小型月着陸実証機(SLIM)および小型プローブ(LEV)の月面着陸の結果・成果等 の記者会見, retrieved 2024-01-25
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