Chandrayaan-3, Luna 25, what's next? Japan's upcoming moon mission and more | List
Russia, Japan, NASA, and China are launching lunar missions, demonstrating renewed global interest in moon exploration.
Less than a month after the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission took flight, Russia has broken a 47-year hiatus by launching its lunar mission to the south pole on Friday. Notably, NASA has also finalised its crew for the Artemis human moon exploration programme. These programmes from top space powers demonstrate the world's renewed interest in the moon.
READ HERE: NASA selects first woman, first Black astronauts for Artemis II lunar flyby
Adding to this wave of activity, Japan is gearing up for the launch of the SLIM lander on August 26, merely three days after the anticipated Chandrayaan-3 landing.
Here's an overview of the forthcoming lunar exploration programmes set to launch in the next couple of years, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
1. SLIM - JAXA (Japan) Lunar Lander (Launch: August 26, 2023):
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) aims to demonstrate accurate landing techniques by a small explorer, accelerating Moon and planet study through lighter exploration systems.
SLIM is scheduled to launch as a "ride-share" payload with the XRISM mission on an H2A booster from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, currently scheduled for August 26 at 00:34:57 UTC (6:04 am7 am IST).
2. Peregrine Mission 1 - NASA CLPS Lunar Lander (Launch: 2023):
Aiming to touch down on Sinus Viscositatis, Peregrine Mission 1 seeks to study the lunar exosphere, thermal properties, hydrogen abundance, magnetic fields, radiation environment, and more.
Launch of Peregrine Mission 1 is no longer targeted for its planned May 4 date due to anomalies found in tests of the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle.
ALSO READ: Meet Chandrayaan-3's Russian competitor. Launch on Friday, but could reach Moon sooner
3. IM-1 - NASA CLPS Lunar Lander (Launch: 2023):
Intuitive Machines 1 (IM-1) plans to place the Nova-C lander on the rim of Malapert A crater. The mission's objectives include studying plume-surface interactions, radio astronomy, space weather interactions, and demonstrating precision landing and communication technologies.
4. Lunar Trailblazer - NASA Lunar Orbiting Small Satellite (Launch: 2023):
Lunar Trailblazer's mission is to orbit the Moon, studying lunar water distribution and its relation to geology. Scheduled to launch in November 2023 as part of NASA's SIMPLEx initiative on the PRIME-1 CLPS mission.
5. Prime 1 - NASA CLPS Lunar Lander (Launch: November 2023):
Intuitive Machines 2 (IM-2) aims to land the Nova-C lander and a drill near the lunar south pole to demonstrate in-situ resource utilization and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.
6. Griffin Mission 1 - VIPER - NASA Lunar South Pole Rover (Launch: November 2024):
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) will search for water ice and volatiles in the lunar south polar region over a 100-day mission.
7. Intuitive Machines 3 - NASA Lunar Lander and Rovers (Launch: 2024):
Intuitive Machines 3 (IM-3) will carry NASA payloads to the Reiner Gamma region to understand its magnetic and plasma properties. The mission is scheduled to deploy its rovers and perform surface operations for about 13 Earth days, sending 9.3 GB of data back to Earth each day.
8. Blue Ghost 1 - NASA Lunar Lander (Launch: 2023):
Blue Ghost Mission 1 plans to deliver ten payloads to the lunar surface in 2023 to investigate heat flow, plume-surface interactions, and more.
9. Chang'e 6 - CNSA (China) Lunar Sample Return Mission (Launch: 2024):
Chang'e 6 is designed to return samples from the lunar south pole, contributing to China's ongoing lunar exploration efforts.
Chandrayaan-3 tracker: What is the current status of the Indian moon mission?
Chandrayaan-3 has reached even closer to the moon’s surface. The spacecraft's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a manoeuvre performed on Wednesday.
According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the next operation is scheduled for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs. IST.
