Moon Missions: in Progress, Scheduled, Proposed, Completed
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Updated July 27, 2009
Suddenly, happily, Moon Mission Planning and Launching is in High Gear all around the World
Moon Missions Report:
- Missions in Progress
- Missions Actively Under Development
- Missions Proposed and on The Drawing Board
- Completed Missions
Missions Currently in Progress or Recently Completed
|
Mission |
Launch Date |
Details |
Latest News |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kaguya (Selene) (Japan) |
September 14, 2007 Mission end: |
orbiter in 100 km polar orbit + two sub-satellites: a backside relay orbiter and an interferometry satellite for lunar gravity measurements. Investigation of lunar origins, technology for future exploration |
|
|
Chang'e-1 (China) |
October 24, 2007 Mission end: |
$170 million polar orbiter - 3-D lunar imagery, soil properties and resource survey: 2000 kg, 12-month mission |
|
| Chandrayaan-1 (India) | Launch Date: October 22, 2008 | Details: $79 million, 525 kg lunar polar orbiter, 2 year mission to prepare 3 dimensional picture of the Moon's near and far side along with simultaneous photo-geological, chemical and mineralogical mapping. It also is planned as a technology demonstrator and suitable ground support systems. | |
|
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA - Goddard) & piggyback LCROSS |
Launch Date: June 18, 2009 | Placed in low polar orbit (50 km) for a 1-year mission, RO will return global data, such as day-night temperature maps, a global geodetic grid, high resolution color imaging and the moon's UV albedo. |
Missions under active development, nearing launch dates
|
Mission |
Launch Date |
Details |
|---|---|---|
|
GRAIL - Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (NASA Discovery Mission) |
2011 |
This $375 M probe will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. |
|
Proposed Italian Moon Mission (pdf file) |
2010 |
"Mission under study" announced at ILEWG 8 in Beijing. May carry some instruments left off of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter |
|
2010-2011 |
a landing platform with the moon rover. |
|
|
2012 |
Orbiter, plus salvo of 10 impactors to monitor seismic activity, and a soft lander at the south pole to look for ice |
|
|
Chang'e-2 - China |
2012 |
lander, rover, sample return mission - camera, telescope and seismological gear |
|
Moonlite - UK (with NASA, India support) |
2012 |
Moonlite would launch 4 high speed penetrators at various points of the lunar globe to create a seismic network |
|
2011 earliest |
Design project of the Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative (SSETI) - students from 15 countries involved |
|
|
American Student Moon Orbiter - ASMO proposal |
2011 earliest (doubtful) |
NASA proposal, with NASA to provide setup, but financing private - not yet real |
|
2013 |
||
|
2017 latest |
||
|
by 2012? |
Stanford on the Moon Project, SpaceDev, South Lunar Polar location |
|
|
Trailblazer (TransOrbital - commercial) |
Continues to slip - doubtful - instrumentation now superseded by Kaguya, Chang'e-1, Chandiryaan-1, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter |
solid-fuel translunar injection (4-day transfer); lunar video/still imaging from polar elliptic orbit (50 km close approach, 10 km final orbit); 100 kg (220 lb.) |
Various other proposed Missions
|
Mission |
Estimated Launch Date |
Details |
|---|---|---|
|
NASA Lunar lander (JPL?) |
2009 |
robotic lander mission, using Mars MER mission technology |
|
South-Pole Sample Return (NASA?) |
by 2012? |
In 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 |
|
Chang'e Phase 3 (China - government) |
by 2015 |
automated sample return |
|
US human landing (government) |
2020 |
stated goal of President Bush's exploration vision, at risk of cancellation by next Administration |
|
China human landing (government) |
2019-2020 |
stated goal for China's space program |
|
2021-30 timeframe |
Completed Missions
|
Mission |
Launch Date - End Date |
Details |
Results |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SMART-1 (ESA - government) |
27 September 2003 - September 3, 2006 |
Solar electric propulsion with 16-month transfer orbit; lunar photographic survey from polar elliptic orbit (300 km close approach); 370 kg (810 lb.) |
Reached Lunar Orbit 2/27/05, Lunar Science Mission completed, guided to controlled impact in Lacus Excellentiae 9/03/2006 . |
|
January 6, 1998 - July 31, 1999 |
Orbiter; Range of scientific instruments (non-photographic); 100 km orbit, 295 kg (650 lb.) |
||
|
Clementine (US BMDO/NASA) |
January 25, 1994 - March 1994 |
Testbed flight for BMD space technologies; polar elliptical orbit, 400 km close approach; lunar photographic mapping, 227 kg |
|
| Kaguya | See first table above | ||
| Chang'e-1 | See first table above |
