Landing a spacecraft on the moon has historically been a challenging endeavor, marked by a series of successes and failures. In the past year, Intuitive Machines, through a NASA-sponsored program, managed to put the U.S. back on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program concluded. However, their lander faced difficulties, tipping over shortly after landing and only operating briefly on the moon's surface. Recently, another U.S. company, Firefly Aerospace, achieved a significant milestone by successfully landing its lunar lander on the moon, becoming the first private entity to accomplish a fully successful moon landing.
These pioneering efforts by U.S. companies are part of NASA’s initiative to foster commercial deliveries to the moon in preparation for crewed missions slated for later this decade. The lunar surface remains a testament to the challenges of space exploration, littered with remnants of past failed landings. Here’s a closer look at the history of moon landings, highlighting both triumphs and setbacks.
The race to the moon began with the Soviet Union's Luna 9, which successfully touched down on the lunar surface in 1966, marking a significant achievement after earlier attempts ended in crashes or missed landings. Just four months later, the United States joined the ranks with Surveyor 1, successfully landing on the moon. Both nations continued to make strides in robotic landings, intensifying the competition as they prepared for human exploration.
NASA secured its place in history by winning the space race with the successful landing of Apollo 11 in 1969, where astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history as the first humans to walk on the moon. Over the course of six missions, a total of twelve astronauts explored the lunar surface, concluding with Apollo 17 in 1972. To date, the United States remains the only country to have sent astronauts to the moon, with plans to return crews by the end of 2026, following a lunar fly-around mission.
In 2013, China made its mark by becoming the third country to successfully land on the moon with the rover Yutu (translated as jade rabbit). This achievement was followed by another successful landing in 2019, when the Yutu-2 rover touched down on the unexplored far side of the moon. China's lunar ambitions continued with a sample return mission in 2020, yielding nearly 4 pounds (1.7 kilograms) of lunar rocks and dirt. Plans are in place for a 2024 mission to collect samples from the moon's far side, as China aims to send its astronauts to the moon by 2030.
In 2023, Russia attempted its first moon landing in nearly fifty years with the Luna 25 spacecraft, but unfortunately, the mission ended in disaster as the lander crashed into the moon. Russia's last successful landing was in 1976 with Luna 24, which not only landed successfully but also returned moon rocks to Earth.
After its initial attempt ended in a crash in 2019, India regrouped and launched Chandrayaan-3 in 2023. This mission successfully landed on the moon, making India the fourth country to achieve a lunar landing, and notably, this success came just four days after Russia’s unfortunate crash.
Japan joined the ranks of successful moon landers in January 2023, becoming the fifth country to land on the moon. However, the spacecraft landed on an unintended side of the moon, limiting its ability to generate solar power. Despite this setback, it managed to transmit images and scientific data back to Earth before falling silent as the long lunar night set in.
The quest for lunar exploration has also seen significant involvement from the private sector. In 2019, a privately funded lander from Israel, named Beresheet (Hebrew for "in the beginning"), tragically crashed during its attempt to land on the moon. Similarly, a lunar lander launched by the Japanese company ispace in 2023 also encountered difficulties and failed to land successfully. However, Intuitive Machines marked a significant achievement as the first private company to successfully land on the moon, although its lander tipped over in 2024 and operated briefly with limited communication. In the same year, Astrobotic Technology attempted a moon landing but had to abort the mission due to a fuel leak, returning to Earth and ultimately burning up over the Pacific Ocean.
With Firefly Aerospace achieving a successful landing with its Blue Ghost lander, the private sector rush to the moon is set to continue. Both Intuitive Machines and ispace have announced plans for further lunar deliveries, indicating a vibrant future for lunar exploration.
The ongoing efforts in lunar exploration highlight the importance of collaboration between government agencies and private companies, paving the way for innovative approaches to space travel and research.
