List of lunar probes

Last updated

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

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.

Contents

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

Major programs encompassing several probes include:

Key

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
  • 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.

Lunar probes by date

1958–1960

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Pioneer 0 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg DoD 17 August 1958orbiterfailurefirst attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; launch vehicle failure; maximum altitude 16 km Pioneer able.png ABLE1
Luna E-1 No.1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 23 September 1958impactorfailurelaunch vehicle failure
Pioneer 1 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA/
No image.svg DoD
11 October 1958orbiterfailuresecond stage premature shutdown; maximum altitude 113,800 km; some data returned Pioneer I on the Launch Pad - GPN-2002-000204.jpg 1958-007A
Luna E-1 No.2 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 12 October 1958impactorfailurelaunch vehicle failure
Pioneer 2 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA/
No image.svg STL
8 November 1958orbiterfailurethird stage failure; maximum altitude 1,550 km; some data returned Pioneer able.png PION2
Luna E-1 No.3 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 4 December 1958impactorfailurelaunch vehicle failure
Pioneer 3 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA/
No image.svg DoD
6 December 1958flybyfailurefuel depletion; maximum altitude 102,360 km; some data returned Pioneer IV flight spare 01.jpg 1958-008A
Luna 1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 4 January 1959flybypartial successfirst spacecraft in the vicinity of the Moon (flew within 5,995 km, but probably an intended impactor) 1959-012A
Pioneer 4 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA/
No image.svg DoD
4 March 1959flybypartial successachieved distant flyby; first US probe to enter solar orbit Pioneer IV flight spare 01.jpg 1959-013A
Luna E-1A No.1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 18 June 1959impactorfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Luna 2 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 14 September 1959impactorsuccessfirst impact on Moon 1959-014A
Pioneer P-1 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg NASA 24 September 1959?orbiter?failuredesignation sometimes given to a failed launch or launchpad explosion during testing; conflicting information between sources Pioneer-5.jpg
Luna 3 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR6 October 1959flybysuccessfirst images from the lunar farside 1959-008A
Pioneer P-3 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg NASA 26 November 1959orbiterfailuredisintegrated shortly after launch Pioneer-5.jpg PIONX
Luna 1960A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR15 April 1960flybyfailurefailed to attain correct trajectory
Luna 1960B Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR16 April 1960flybyfailurelaunch vehicle failure
Pioneer P-30 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 25 September 1960orbiterfailuresecond stage failure; failed to reach Earth orbit Pioneer-5.jpg PIONY
Pioneer P-31 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 15 December 1960orbiterfailurefirst stage failure Pioneer-5.jpg PIONZ

1962–1965

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Ranger 3 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 28 January 1962impactorfailuremissed target 1964 71392L.jpg 1962-001A
Ranger 4 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 26 April 1962impactorfailurehit the lunar farside; no data returned 1964 71394L.jpg 1962-012A
Ranger 5 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 October 1962impactorfailurepower failure, missed target 1964 71395L-Ranger.svg 1962-055A
Sputnik 25 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR5 January 1963landerfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit 1963-001A
Luna E-6 No.3 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR2 February 1963lander?failurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Luna 4 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR5 April 1963lander?failuremissed target, became Earth satellite 1963-008B
Ranger 6 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 2 February 1964impactorpartial successimpacted, but no pictures returned due to power failure The Ranger Spacecraft GPN-2000-001979.jpg 1964-007A
Luna 1964A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR21 March 1964landerfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Ranger 7 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 31 July 1964impactorsuccessreturned pictures until impact The Ranger Spacecraft GPN-2000-001979.jpg 1964-041A
Ranger 8 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 20 February 1965impactorsuccessreturned pictures until impact The Ranger Spacecraft GPN-2000-001979.jpg 1965-010A
Cosmos 60 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR12 March 1965landerfailurefailed to leave Earth orbit 1965-018A
Ranger 9 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 24 March 1965impactorsuccessTV broadcast of live pictures until impact The Ranger Spacecraft GPN-2000-001979.jpg 1965-023A
Luna 1965A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR10 April 1965landerfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit?
Luna 5 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR12 May 1965landerfailurecrashed into Moon 1965-036A
Luna 6 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR8 June 1965landerfailuremissed Moon 1965-044A
Zond 3 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR20 July 1965flybysuccesspossibly originally intended as a Mars probe, but target changed after launch window missed 1965-056A
Luna 7 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR7 October 1965landerfailurecrashed into Moon 1965-077A
Luna 8 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR6 December 1965landerfailurecrashed into Moon 1965-099A

1966–1967

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Luna 9 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR3 February 1966 
6 February 1966
landersuccessfirst soft landing; first images from the surface 1966-006A
Cosmos 111 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR1 March 1966orbiterfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit 1966-017A
Luna 10 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR3 April 1966 
30 May 1966
orbitersuccessfirst artificial satellite of the Moon 1966-027A
Luna 1966A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR30 April 1966orbiterfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Surveyor 1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 2 June 1966landersuccessfirst US soft landing; Surveyor program performed various tests in support of forthcoming human landings Surveyor NASA lunar lander.jpg 1966-045A
Explorer 33 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 1 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 IMP-D.jpg 1966-058A
Lunar Orbiter 1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 14 August 1966
29 October 1966
orbitersuccessphotographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission Lunar Orbiter Engineering Mock-up.jpg 1966-073A
Luna 11 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR28 August 1966
1 October 1966
orbitersuccessgamma-ray and X-ray-based observations of Moon's composition; gravity, radiation and meteorite studies 1966-078A
Surveyor 2 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 23 September 1966landerfailurecrashed into Moon Surveyor NASA lunar lander.jpg 1966-084A
Luna 12 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR25 October 1966
19 January 1967
orbitersuccesslunar surface photography 1966-094A
Lunar Orbiter 2 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 10 November 1966
11 October 1967
orbitersuccessphotographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission Lunar Orbiter Engineering Mock-up.jpg 1966-100A
Luna 13 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR24 December 1966landersuccessTV pictures of lunar landscape; soil measurements 1966-116A
Lunar Orbiter 3 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 8 February 1967
9 October 1967
orbitersuccessphotographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission Lunar Orbiter Engineering Mock-up.jpg 1967-008A
Surveyor 3 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 20 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. Surveyor 3 on the Moon.jpg 1967-035A
Lunar Orbiter 4 Flag of the United States.svg NASA MayOctober 1967orbitersuccesslunar photographic survey Lunar Orbiter Engineering Mock-up.jpg 1967-041A
Explorer 35 Flag of the United States.svg NASA July 1967 –
24 June 1973
orbitersuccessstudies of interplanetary plasma, magnetic fields, energetic particles and solar X rays IMP-E.jpg 1967-070A
Surveyor 4 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 17 July 1967landerfailurecrashed into Moon Surveyor NASA lunar lander.jpg 1967-068A
Lunar Orbiter 5 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 5 August 1967
31 January 1968
orbitersuccesslunar photographic survey; intentionally impacted after completion of mission Lunar Orbiter Engineering Mock-up.jpg 1967-075A
Surveyor 5 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 11 September 1967
17 December 1967
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings Surveyor NASA lunar lander.jpg 1967-084A
Zond 1967A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR28 September 1967failurelunar capsule test flight; launch failure Zond L1 drawing.svg
Surveyor 6 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 10 November 1967
14 December 1967
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings Surveyor NASA lunar lander.jpg 1967-112A
Zond 1967B Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR22 November 1967failurelunar capsule test flight; launch failure Zond L1 drawing.svg

1968–1970

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Surveyor 7 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 10 January 1968
21 February 1968
landersuccessvarious studies, primarily in support of forthcoming human landings; fifth and final Surveyor mission to achieve soft landing Surveyor NASA lunar lander.jpg 1968-001A
Luna 1968A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR7 February 1968orbiter?failurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Zond 4 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR2 March 1968 (launch)lunar programme flight test, directed away from Moon, either intentionally or unintentionally Zond L1 drawing.svg 1968-013A
Luna 14 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR10 April 1968  ?orbitersuccesstests of radio communications technologies; lunar mascon studies 1968-027A
Zond 1968A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR23 April 1968flyby?failurelaunch failure Zond L1 drawing.svg
Zond 5 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR18 September 1968flybysuccessbioscience experiments; returned to soft landing on Earth Zond L1 drawing.svg 1968-076A
Zond 6 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR14 November 1968flybysuccesscosmic-ray, micrometeoroid and bioscience studies; returned to soft landing on Earth Zond L1 drawing.svg 1968-101A
Zond 1969A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR20 January 1969flybyfailurelaunch aborted Zond L1 drawing.svg
Luna 1969A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR19 February 1969landerfailurelaunch vehicle failure
  Lunokhod 201roverfailure
Zond L1S-1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR21 February 1969orbiterfailurelaunch vehicle failure Zond L1 drawing.svg
Luna 1969B Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR15 April 1969sample return?failurelaunch failure
Luna 1969C Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR14 June 1969sample returnfailurelaunch failure
Zond L1S-2 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR3 July 1969orbiterfailurelaunch failure Zond L1 drawing.svg
Luna 15 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR21 July 1969sample return?failure?completed 52 lunar orbits then crash-landed 1969-058A
Zond 7 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR11 August 1969flybysuccessreturned to soft landing on Earth Zond L1 drawing.svg 1969-067A
Cosmos 300 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR23 September 1969sample returnfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit 1969-080A
Cosmos 305 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR22 October 1969sample returnfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit 1969-092A
Luna 1970A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR6 February 1970sample return?failurelaunch vehicle failure
Luna 1970B Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR19 February 1970orbiter?failurelaunch vehicle failure
Luna 16 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR20 September 1970sample returnsuccessfirst robotic sample return 1970-072A
Zond 8 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR24 October 1970flybysuccessreturned to soft landing on Earth Zond L1 drawing.svg 1970-088A
Luna 17 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR17 November 1970
4 October 1971
landersuccessdeployed rover 1970-095A
   Lunokhod 1 roversuccessfirst robotic rover; travelled over 10 km 1970-095D

1971–1976

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Luna 18 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR11 September 1971lander/sample return?failurecrashed into Moon 1971-073A
Luna 19 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR3 October 1971
October 1972
orbitersuccess 1971-082A
Luna 20 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR21 February 1972sample returnsuccesssecond successful robotic sample return 1972-007A
Soyuz L3 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR23 November 1972orbiterfailurelaunch failure Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft2edit1.jpg
Luna 21 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR15 January 1973
May 1973?
landersuccessdeployed rover 1973-001A
   Lunokhod 2 roversuccesssecond robotic rover; travelled 37 km
Explorer 49 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 15 June 1973
June 1975
orbitersuccessradio astronomy observations; last US lunar mission until 1994 IMP-E.jpg 1973-039A
Mariner 10 Flag of the United States.svg NASA November 1973flybysuccessen route to Venus and Mercury Mariner 10.jpg 1973-085A
Luna 22 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR2 June 1974
November 1974
orbitersuccess 1974-037A
Luna 23 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR6 November 1974sample returnfailuredamaged on landing, sample return failed 1974-084A
Luna 1975A Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR16 October 1975sample returnfailurefailed to reach Earth orbit
Luna 24 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR18 August 1976sample returnsuccessthird and final successful sample return in Luna programme 1976-081A

1983–1998

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
ICE (formerly ISEE-3) Flag of the United States.svg NASA 22 December 1983flybysuccessgravity assist en route to comet flybys ISEE-3.gif 1978-079A
Hiten Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS March 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 Hiten.gif 1990-007A
February 1992 April 1993orbitersuccess
   Hagoromo Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS March 1990orbiterfailurereleased by Hiten into lunar orbit, but transmitter failed and orbit never confirmed
GEOTAIL Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS / Flag of the United States.svg NASA September 1992 November 1994flyby (approached 14 times)successgravity assist en route magnetotail around L2 / finally deployed into high Earth orbit
WIND Flag of the United States.svg NASA 1 December 1994 and 27 December 1994flybysuccessgravity assists en route to Earth–Sun L1 Lagrangian point Wind probe.jpg 1994-071A
Clementine Flag of the United States.svg BMDO/
No image.svg NASA
February June 1994orbiterpartial successlunar and Earth observations and component testing; planned Geographos flyby failed Clementine Deployed.png 1994-004A
HGS-1 Flag of the United States.svg Hughes Global ServicesMay/June 1998Flyby (orbital correction)errant communications satellite, flew within 6,200 kilometers of Moon during orbit correction manoeuvres 1997-086A
Lunar Prospector Flag of the United States.svg NASA January 1998
July 1999
orbitersuccesslunar surface mapping; intentionally impacted into polar crater at end of mission to test for liberation of water vapour (not detected) Lunar Prospector orbiter.jpg 1998-001A
Nozomi Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS 24 September 1998flybysuccessgravity assists on planned mission to Mars 1998-041A
18 December 1998flybysuccess

2001–2009

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
WMAP Flag of the United States.svg NASA 30 July 2001flybysuccessgravity assist en route to Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point WMAP2.jpg 2001-027A
SMART-1 ESA logo simple.svg ESA 13 November 2004
3 September 2006
orbitersuccesstechnology testbed and lunar geological studies; intentionally impacted at end of mission; first European probe to orbit the Moon 2003-043C
STEREO A Flag of the United States.svg NASA 15 December 2006flybysuccessgravity assist to enter a heliocentric orbit STEREO spacecraft.gif 2006-047A
STEREO B Flag of the United States.svg NASA 15 December 2006 and 21 January 2007flybysuccessgravity assists to enter a heliocentric orbit 2006-047B
SELENE
(Kaguya)
Flag of Japan.svg JAXA 3 October 2007 10 June 2009orbitersuccessmineralogical, geographical, magnetic and gravitational observations H-IIA F13 launching KAGUYA.jpg 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 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 5 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 Chang'e-1 mockup at BASM.jpg 2007-051A
Chandrayaan-1 Flag of India.svg ISRO 8 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] Chandrayaan-1.svg 2008-052A Archived 2014-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
Moon Impact Probe (MIP) Flag of India.svg ISRO 14 November 2008impactorsuccesstest and demonstrate targeting technologies for future soft landings, scientific observation from close range
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Flag of the United States.svg NASA 23 June 2009 orbiterin orbitsurvey of lunar resources and identification of possible landing sites LRO 2006.jpg 2009-031A
LCROSS Flag of the United States.svg NASA 23 June 2009flybysuccessconsisted of the Shepherding Spacecraft and Centaur upper stage (Earth Departure Upper Stage) LCROSS separated.jpg 2009-031B
   LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft 9 October 2009impactorsuccessanalyzed upper-stage impact plume for traces of water liberated from the Moon's surface
   LCROSS Earth Departure Upper Stage 9 October 2009impactorsuccess

2010–2019

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Chang'e 2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 1 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. Chang'e-2 mockup at BASM.jpg 2010-050A
ARTEMIS P1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 2 July 2011 –orbiterin orbitto study the effect of the solar wind on the lunar surface ARTEMIS mission.jpg 2007-004B
ARTEMIS P2 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 17 July 2011 –orbiterin orbitto study the effect of the solar wind on the lunar surface 2007-004C
GRAIL A
(Ebb)
Flag of the United States.svg NASA 31 December 2011 – 17 December 2012orbitersuccessmapped the Moon's gravitational field; intentionally impacted at end of mission GRAIL.jpg 2011-046A
GRAIL B
(Flow)
Flag of the United States.svg NASA 1 January 2012 – 12 December 2012orbitersuccessmapped the Moon's gravitational field; intentionally impacted at end of mission 2011-046B
LADEE Flag of the United States.svg NASA 6 September 2013 – 8 April 2014orbitersuccessdesigned to study the lunar exosphere and dust. Intentionally impacted on far side of Moon. LADEE illustration over moon's surface.jpg 2013-047A
Chang'e 3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 1 December 2013 -landerin progresssoft-landed on the Moon and deployed Yutu rover on 14 December 2013; one functioning instrument as of 1 September 2020 2013-070A
   Yutu Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 1 December 2013
2016?
roversuccesssurvived multiple lunar nights, became immobile 42 days after landing Yutu rover.jpg 2013-070C
Chang'e 5-T1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 28 October 2014flybysuccessTechnology demonstrator for Chang'e 5 mission; after separating the Xiaofei reentry capsule, the service module eventually entered lunar orbit to conduct rendezvous exercises 2014-065A
10 January 2015 –orbiterin progress
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxspace October 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.
TESS Flag of the United States.svg NASA 17 May 2018flybysuccessgravity assist to achieve a lunar resonant high Earth orbit Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite artist concept (transparent background).png 2018-038A
Queqiao Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 25 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. QueqiaoDFH.jpg 2018-045A
Longjiang-1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg HIT 25 May 2018orbiterfailuremalfunctioned after launch, became flyby 2018-045B
Longjiang-2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg HIT 25 May 2018 – 31 July 2019orbitersuccess Very Long Baseline Interferometry, in orbit until 31 July 2019 when it was deliberately directed to crash onto the Moon. 2018-045C
Chang'e 4 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 7 December 2018 –landerin progressFirst spacecraft to soft land on the far side of the Moon. ChangE-4 - PCAM.png 2018-103A
   Yutu-2 roveractive ChangE-4, Yutu-2 (cropped).png
Beresheet Flag of Israel.svg SpaceIL 22 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
Chandrayaan-2 Flag of India.svg ISRO 22 July 2019 –orbiterin orbitobserve lunar geography and mineralogy, search for water molecules 2019-042A
   Vikram Flag of India.svg ISRO 6 September 2019landerfailurecrashed due to a software glitch [2]
   Pragyan Flag of India.svg ISRO 7 September 2019rovernot deployedwas to be deployed from Vikram

2020–present

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Chang'e 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 16 December 2020sample returnsuccessRetrieved 1.731 kg of lunar sample and returned it to Earth Chang-e-5-assembly-CG-1-Cropped.jpg 2020-087A [3]
  Chang'e 5 Lander Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 30 November 2020 - 11 December 2020successObtained lunar sample and placed on ascent vehicle; conducted radar studies of underground structure
  Chang'e 5 Ascent vehicle Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 3 December 2020 - 7 December 2020successTransferred lunar sample onto return capsule via lunar-orbit rendezvous; intentionally deorbited
  Chang'e 5 Orbiter Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 9 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 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA Late 2021 -orbiterin orbitFirst spacecraft to utilize Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) about Earth-Moon L1 and L2
CAPSTONE Flag of the United States.svg NASA 14 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 graphic 13feb20 0.jpg CAPSTONE
Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-002 Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 November 2022flybysuccessUncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and DRO orbit. Orion Service Module.jpg ARTEMIS-1 [9]
25 November 2022orbitersuccess
5 December 2022flybysuccess
LunaH-Map Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 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.png LUNAH-MAP [10] [11]
Lunar IceCube Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 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. Lunar IceCube Moon Southern Region.png L-ICECUBE
EQUULEUS Flag of Japan.svg JAXA 21 November 2022flybysuccessimage the Earth's plasmasphere, impact craters on the Moon's far side and L2 experiments. EQUULEUS
LunIR Flag of the United States.svg Lockheed Martin 21 November 2022flybyfailureimage surface thermography, failed to observe the Moon due to faulty communication SkyFire lunar CubeSat.jpg LUNIR [12]
NEA Scout Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 November 2022flybyfailure Solar sail intended to flyby a near-Earth asteroid. Communication failure. Near Earth Asteroid Scout.jpg NEA-SCOUT
ArgoMoon Flag of Italy.svg ASI 21 November 2022flybysuccessimage the ICPS and perform deep space Nanotechnology experiments. Artemis I - OSA Secondary Payload ARGO, BioS (KSC-20210714-PH-GEB02 0019).jpg ARGOMOON
OMOTENASHI solid motor and orbiting module Flag of Japan.svg JAXA 21 November 2022 (flyby)impactorfailureintentional impact after separation from surface probe. Prepares the trajectory for landing of surface probe. Communication failure, missed target OMOTENASH
   OMOTENASHI surface probe Flag of Japan.svg JAXA semi-hard landerfailureinflatable module attempting to land semi-hard at lunar surface. Communication failure, missed target
CuSP Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 November 2022flybysuccessmission to study particles and magnetic fields. Did lunar flyby due to launch trajectory. Artemis I OSA Secondary Payloads - CuSP and LunaHMap (KSC-20210714-PH-KLS01 0071) (cropped).jpg CUSP
BioSentinel Flag of the United States.svg NASA 21 November 2022flybysuccessit contains yeast cards that will be rehydrated in space, designed to detect, measure, and compare the effects of deep space radiation. Biosentinel 6U CubeSat format.jpg BIOSENTNL
Team Miles Flag of the United States.svg Fluid & Reason21 November 2022flybysuccessdemonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space. TEAMMILES
Danuri
(Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter)
Flag of South Korea.svg KARI /
Flag of the United States.svg 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 rendered image.png KPLO
Hakuto-R Mission 1 Flag of Japan.svg ispace April 2023landerfailure [14] Lunar lander technology demonstration. HAKUTO-R1
   Rashid Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg UAESA/MBRSC April 2023roverLunar rover, part of the Emirates Lunar Mission. Rlr2020.jpg
  SORA-Q Flag of Japan.svg JAXA/Tomy/Doshisha University April 2023roverLunar rover technology demonstration.
Lunar Flashlight Flag of the United States.svg NASA 11 December 2022 (launch)orbiterfailure [15] [16] was to enter a near-rectilinear halo orbit; couldn't leave Earth orbit due to propulsion failures. Lunar Flashlight spaceprobe.jpeg L-FLASHLT
JUICE Flag of Europe.svg ESA 14 April 2023 (launch)flybyen routewill fly by the Moon in August 2024 en route to Jupiter. Juice launch kit cover close-up.png [17]
Chandrayaan-3 Flag of India.svg ISRO 14 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. Chandrayaan-3 Integrated Module in clean-room 01.webp CHANDRYN3
   Vikram Flag of India.svg ISRO 23 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 Flag of India.svg ISRO 23 August 2023roversuccessstowed inside lander. Demonstrating the rover’s loitering capabilities on the Moon. In-site observation & conducting experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand composition of the Moon.
  Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module Flag of India.svg ISRO Between 13 October and 10 November 20234 flybyssuccessExtended mission following lunar orbit operations to returning to Earth orbit
Luna 25 Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos 10 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. Maquette-Luna-Glob-Lander-b-DSC 0075.jpg LUNA-25
SLIM Flag of Japan.svg JAXA 19 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 half scale model (cropped).png SLIM
   LEV-1 Flag of Japan.svg JAXA 19 January 2024roversuccessLunar rover with a hopping mechanism. Conducted six hops on lunar surface. [24]
   LEV-2 Flag of Japan.svg JAXA/Tomy/Doshisha University 19 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 Flag of the United States.svg Astrobotic Technology 8 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] Astrobotic Lunar Lander NASA Meatball Install (KSC-20231114-PH-ILW01 0100).jpg PEREGRN-1
   Colmena × 5 Flag of Mexico.svg UNAM 8 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 Flag of the United States.svg CMU 8 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 Flag of the United States.svg Intuitive Machines 22 February 2024landersuccessLunar lander selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services carrying a total of 6 payloads. Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander (IM 00309) (cropped).jpg IM-1-NOVA
   EagleCam Flag of the United States.svg Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University 28 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 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CAS 13 March 2024 (launch)orbiterfailure YZ-1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecrafts into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit. [30]
DRO-Borbiterfailure
Queqiao-2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 24 March 2024orbiterin orbitLunar far side relay satellite. Polrelais.jpg QUEQIAO-2
   Tiandu-1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Deep Space Exploration Laboratory orbiterin orbitwill test communications for future lunar satellite constellation technologies.
   Tiandu-2 orbiterin orbit
Chang'e 6 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 3 May 2024sample returnenrouteFirst sample-return from the South Pole–Aitken basin on the far side of the Moon. [31] [32] Chang-e-5-assembly-CG-1-Cropped.jpg CHANG-E-6
  Chang'e 6 Lander Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA enroutewill obtain lunar sample and placed on ascent vehicle; will conduct radar studies of underground structure
  Chang'e 6 Ascent vehicle Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA enroutewill Transfer lunar sample onto return capsule via lunar-orbit rendezvous; later intentionally deorbit
  ICUBE-Q Flag of Pakistan.svg SUPARCO entroute Pakistan's first lunar mission.

Future

See also

Notes

  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
  25. 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
  26. Fisher, Jackie Wattles, Kristin (2024-01-08). "Peregrine mission abandons Moon landing attempt after suffering 'critical' fuel loss". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. Fisher, Jackie Wattles, Kristin (2024-01-08). "Peregrine mission abandons Moon landing attempt after suffering 'critical' fuel loss". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. Fisher, Jackie Wattles, Kristin (2024-01-08). "Peregrine mission abandons Moon landing attempt after suffering 'critical' fuel loss". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. "2/3 mission plans and procedures in order to deploy its CubeSat camera system. Despite the team's strong effort, the technical complications ultimately resulted in an inability to capture images of the Odysseus lander".
  30. Jones, Andrew (2024-03-14). "Surprise Chinese lunar mission hit by launch anomaly". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  31. "China's Moon Missions Shadow NASA Artemis's Pace - IEEE Spectrum". spectrum.ieee.org.
  32. Jones, Andrew (10 January 2024). "China's Chang'e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 10 January 2024.

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