The Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite, has been a source of fascination and inspiration for humanity for millennia. It has also been a target of exploration and scientific inquiry since the dawn of the space age. In the next year, several nations and private companies are planning to launch missions to the Moon, each with their own objectives and challenges. Here is an overview of some of the most notable lunar missions that are expected to take place in 2023.
US: Artemis II and III
The US space agency NASA is leading the ambitious Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon by 2025 or 2026. The program also intends to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface and use it as a stepping stone for future exploration of Mars and beyond.
The first mission of the Artemis program, Artemis I, successfully completed a lunar orbit in December 2022, using the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The next mission, Artemis II, is scheduled to launch in 2024, and will take four astronauts to orbit the Moon. The third mission, Artemis III, will be the historic landing mission, using the SpaceX Starship vehicle to transport two crew members to the lunar south pole region.
NASA hopes that the Artemis program will inspire a new generation of explorers and scientists, as well as foster international cooperation and commercial partnerships for lunar exploration.
EU: HERACLES
The European Space Agency (ESA) is collaborating with NASA, Japan, and Canada on a series of missions that will pave the way for human exploration of the Moon. One of these missions is HERACLES (Human-Enhanced Robotic Architecture and Capability for Lunar Exploration and Science), which is planned to launch in 2027.
HERACLES will consist of a lander, a rover, and an ascent vehicle that will deliver samples from the lunar surface to an orbiting gateway station. The rover will be controlled by astronauts on board the gateway or on Earth, using advanced teleoperation technologies. The samples will be transferred to Orion for return to Earth.
HERACLES will demonstrate key technologies and capabilities for future human missions to the Moon, such as landing precision, surface mobility, sample handling, and communication. It will also conduct scientific investigations of the lunar environment and resources.
China: Chang’e 7
China has been steadily advancing its lunar exploration program since 2007, when it launched its first lunar orbiter, Chang’e 1. Since then, China has achieved several milestones, such as landing a rover on the far side of the Moon (Chang’e 4) and returning lunar samples to Earth (Chang’e 5).
The next mission in China’s lunar program is Chang’e 7, which is expected to launch in 2024. Chang’e 7 will consist of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a flying probe that will explore the lunar south pole region. The mission will conduct comprehensive surveys of the topography, geology, mineralogy, composition, environment, and resources of this area, which is of high scientific interest and potential for future human settlement and commercial exploitation.
China has also announced plans with Russia to set up a joint base on the Moon by 2035, but no timeline has been drawn up for the project.
Russia: Luna 25
Russia has a long history of lunar exploration dating back to the Soviet era, when it launched the first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1), the first spacecraft to reach the Moon (Luna 1), and the first soft landing on the Moon (Luna 9).
After a hiatus of more than four decades, Russia is resuming its lunar program with Luna 25, which is scheduled to launch in July 2023. Luna 25 will be a lander that will touch down near the lunar south pole and collect samples from its surface. The lander will carry several instruments to study the thermal regime, plasma environment, dust dynamics, and chemical composition of the landing site.
Luna 25 is intended to be the first of a series of missions that will explore different aspects of the Moon, such as its geology, magnetism, exosphere, volatiles, and internal structure.
India: Chandrayaan 3
India is another emerging space power that has set its sights on the Moon. India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan 1, launched in 2008 and orbited the Moon for almost a year, making several discoveries, such as the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface.
India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan 2, launched in 2019 and consisted of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. However, the lander and rover failed to make a soft landing on the Moon and crashed near the south pole.
India is now preparing for its third lunar mission, Chandrayaan 3, which is planned to launch in June 2023. Chandrayaan 3 will be a repeat of Chandrayaan 2, with a lander and a rover that will attempt to land near the south pole and explore its terrain and resources. The orbiter from Chandrayaan 2 will continue to operate and relay data from the lander and rover.
Chandrayaan 3 will be India’s second attempt to achieve a soft landing on the Moon and demonstrate its technological capabilities for future lunar missions.
Japan: SLIM
Japan has also been involved in lunar exploration since the late 2000s, when it launched its first lunar orbiter, Kaguya (SELENE), which mapped the Moon in high resolution and detected traces of water ice in permanently shadowed craters.
Japan’s next lunar mission is SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon), which is likely to launch sometime later this year. SLIM will be a small lander that will test strategies for making highly accurate landings on the Moon, with a level of precision no other country has ever achieved. The mission will target a small crater near the equator and deploy a camera to take images of the landing site.
SLIM will pave the way for future missions that require precise landing capabilities, such as sample return or resource utilization.
South Korea: KPLO
South Korea is another newcomer to lunar exploration, with its first mission to the Moon scheduled to launch in August 2023. The mission is called KPLO (Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter), and it will consist of an orbiter that will circle the Moon for at least one year.
KPLO will carry six instruments to study various aspects of the lunar environment, such as its magnetic field, plasma, radiation, topography, mineralogy, and gravity. The craft will also carry a small payload from NASA, called ShadowCam, which will map the distribution of water ice in permanently shadowed regions near the poles.
KPLO will be South Korea’s first step to secure and verify its space exploration capability and obtain new scientific measurements of the Moon.
The Moon race is on
The Moon is witnessing a renewed interest and activity from various nations and organizations that are eager to explore its mysteries and opportunities. The next year will see an unprecedented number of missions headed to the Moon, each with their own unique goals and challenges. These missions will not only advance our scientific knowledge and technological capabilities, but could also foster international cooperation and commercial innovation for lunar exploration.
