India is on the verge of achieving a remarkable feat by attempting to become the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon’s southern pole. This lunar endeavor has attracted global attention and participation from both established space powers and emerging players. This pursuit follows Russia’s Luna-25 probe crash landing on the moon.
Here’s the latest on various lunar missions:
Chandrayaan-3:
Named “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit, Chandrayaan-3 is India’s endeavor to build upon its past lunar missions, including a successful lunar orbit in 2008 and an unsuccessful landing in 2019. Launched in mid-July, the mission executed several orbits around Earth to gain the required speed for its lunar journey. If the current landing effort succeeds, a solar-powered rover will explore the lesser-explored southern pole of the moon, transmitting data back to Earth over a two-week operational period. This mission marks another achievement for India’s cost-effective space program, which notably placed a craft into Mars’ orbit in 2014. Additionally, the Indian Space Research Organisation aims to conduct a crewed mission into Earth’s orbit by the upcoming year.
Russia’s Luna:
Russia’s Luna-25, launched on August 11, signifies Moscow’s reentry into lunar exploration after nearly five decades. While the lander successfully entered lunar orbit on August 16, it unfortunately met its end through a collision with the moon’s surface a few days later. Originally intended for a year-long stay to gather samples and analyze soil, this mission was part of Russia’s attempt to revive independent lunar exploration amidst financial challenges and corruption controversies. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s focus on space collaboration with China has intensified due to strained relations with the West after the Ukraine conflict.
China’s Lunar Aspirations:
China, the world’s second-largest economy, is actively pursuing a crewed lunar mission by 2030 and aiming to establish a lunar base. Their substantial investment in a military-managed space program reflects a push to rival the space capabilities of the United States and Russia. Having achieved putting humans into orbit in 2003, China has also successfully landed rovers on both Mars and the moon, including the Chang’e-4 rover on the moon’s far side in 2019. Their lunar missions have included raising the Chinese flag on the near side in 2020 and returning rock and soil samples to Earth for the first time in over 40 years.
NASA’s Artemis Program:
NASA’s Artemis 3 mission is scheduled to return humans to the moon by 2025. This initiative aims to establish a sustained lunar presence as a stepping stone for future Mars exploration. The Artemis program involves a series of progressively complex missions, with Artemis 1 having already sent an uncrewed spacecraft around the moon in 2022. Artemis 2, planned for November 2024, will repeat the feat with a crew on board. While NASA views the moon as a crucial layover for Mars missions and has partnered with Nokia to set up lunar 4G connectivity, the fate of Artemis 3’s human landing hinges on timely completion of key components. SpaceX’s prototype Starship rocket is contracted for the landing system, despite its ongoing development challenges.
Emergence of New Players:
Advancements in technology have lowered the costs of space missions, enabling new entrants from both the public and private sectors. However, moon exploration remains a formidable challenge. Israel’s SpaceIL experienced a lunar lander crash in 2019, and Japan’s ispace encountered a similar fate in April this year. Later this year, US companies Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines will make their lunar landing attempts, highlighting the ongoing pursuit of lunar exploration beyond established players.
