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Missions to the Moon
This page captures details from the latest Moon Society Lunar Mission Update. Updated information is highlighted in yellow.Previous versions of this page are also available.
Currently in progress
| Mission | Launch Date | Details | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMART-1 (ESA - government) | 27 September 2003 | Solar electric propulsion with 16-month transfer orbit; lunar photographic survey from polar elliptic orbit (300 km close approach); 370 kg (810 lb) | Orbital period is now (April) over 30 hours, roughly 80,000 km apogee; lunar capture should happen by the end of 2004. |
Planned or proposed
| Mission | Launch Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Trailblazer (TransOrbital - commercial) | October or November, 2004 | solid-fuel trans-lunar injection (4-day transfer); lunar video and still imaging from polar elliptic orbit (50 km close approach, 10 km final orbit); 100 kg (220 lb) |
| Lunar-A (ISAS Japan - government) | 2005 | mapping orbiter and near-side + far-side penetrators; heat-flow and seismic measurements; 520 kg (1100 lb) |
| SuperSat (LunaCorp - private/govt) | 2005 | Shuttle launch, ISS assembly; ion-engine transfer (30-45 days); lunar photography at 1 meter or better resolution; panoramic video for science center display |
| Electra I (TransOrbital - commercial) | 2005? | Microlander; daytime power/communications; 10 kg (20 lb) to lunar surface |
| Selene (ISAS/NASDA - government) | 2006 | orbiter in 100 km polar orbit + two sub-satellites; investigation of lunar origins, technology for future exploration |
| Chang'e-I (China - government) | December 2006 | $170 million orbiter - 3-D lunar imagery, soil properties and resource survey: 2000 kg, 12-month mission |
| Icebreaker (LunaCorp - commercial) | 2006? | Polar landing rover; exploration for ice in polar craters, and Aitken basin geology; high-resolution panoramic imaging |
| Moon Crash (Orbital Development - commercial) | 2006? | 10 kg to the moon, personalized payload (for sale), crash landing. |
| Electra II (TransOrbital - commercial) | 2007? | Microlander with rovers |
| Chandrayaan-1 (India - government) | 2007 or 2008 | $100 million project, 525 kg polar orbiter (100 km), 2 year mission - gravity map and 3D chemical map of lunar surface |
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA - Goddard) | 2008 | remote sensing: Identification of resources, locate safe future landing sites |
| NASA lunar lander (JPL?) | 2009 | robotic lander mission, using Mars mission technology |
| Chang'e Phase 2 (China - government) | 2010 | lander |
| Chang'e Rover (China - government) | 2012 | rover - camera, telescope and seismological gear |
| South-Pole Sample Return (NASA?) | ? by 2012? | From the recommendations of the 2002 decadal "New Frontiers in the Solar System" report, high on the list was sample return from the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin. |
| US human landing (government or commercial?) | 2015-2020 | stated goal of President Bush's new exploration vision. |
| Chang'e Phase 3 (China - government) | by 2020 | sample return - likely a series of missions in this time frame |
| China human landing (government) | 2020 | stated goal for a human from China on the Moon |
| Artemis Project Reference Mission (ASI - commercial) | ? | Establishment of a human-tended lunar base; exploration of lunar resources for commercial use |
| Lunar Solar Power (Criswell - commercial) | ? | arrays of solar cells on lunar surface to beam energy back to Earth |
Completed missions
| Mission | Launch Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar Prospector (NASA) | January 6, 1998 | Orbiter; Range of scientific instruments (non-photographic); 100 km orbit, 295 kg (650 lb) |
| Clementine (US BMDO/NASA) | January 25, 1994 | Testbed flight for BMD space technologies; polar elliptical orbit, 400 km close approach; lunar photographic mapping, 227 kg |
LUNAR UNDERGROUND WEB RING