Last updated: 19th May 2026
Lunar exploration has accelerated dramatically since we began following missions and their outcomes.
Below is a chronological overview of recent, current, and upcoming missions to the Moon.
Completed Missions (2024–2026)
Chang’e 6 – Sample Return from the Far Side – SUCCESS
Launched: 3 May 2024 · Landed: 1 June 2024 · Returned to Earth: 25 June 2024
China’s Chang’e 6 became the first mission in history to return samples from the far side of the Moon. The lander touched down in the Apollo crater within the South Pole–Aitken Basin, deployed the small “Jinchan” mini-rover, and collected approximately 1,935 grams of surface and subsurface material using a scoop and drill. The return capsule landed in Inner Mongolia on 25 June 2024 after a 53-day mission. Early scientific analysis of the samples is already reshaping understanding of lunar volcanism and the early impact history of the inner solar system.
Astrobotic Peregrine Mission 1 – FAILURE
Launched: 8 January 2024 · Mission lost: 18 January 2024
Peregrine was intended to land near the Gruithuisen Domes as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Shortly after launch on the inaugural Vulcan Centaur rocket, a propellant leak prevented any landing attempt. The spacecraft was directed to a controlled re-entry over the South Pacific.
SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) – PARTIAL SUCCESS
Launched: 6 September 2023 · Landed: 19 January 2024
JAXA’s SLIM achieved a precision landing within 100 metres of its target near Shioli Crater — a world first in pinpoint lunar landing accuracy. The lander tipped onto its nose during touchdown, leaving its solar panels poorly oriented, but it operated intermittently whenever the sun reached the panels and survived multiple lunar nights, far exceeding its design life. Before landing, SLIM deployed two small rovers: LEV-1 (a hopper) and LEV-2 / Sora-Q (a transformable ball-shaped rover developed with Takara Tomy).
Intuitive Machines IM-1 / Nova-C “Odysseus” – PARTIAL SUCCESS
Launched: 15 February 2024 · Landed: 22 February 2024
Odysseus became the first privately developed spacecraft to land on the Moon and the first US lander to do so in 52 years. It touched down approximately 1.5 km from its target near Malapert A in the south polar region. A broken landing leg caused the lander to come to rest on its side, limiting power generation and communications. The mission ended several days earlier than planned but still returned data from NASA and commercial payloads.
Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 – SUCCESS
Launched: 15 January 2025 · Landed: 2 March 2025
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost achieved a fully successful upright landing at Mons Latreille in Mare Crisium, delivering ten NASA CLPS payloads. The lander operated for the full lunar day and captured striking imagery, including a total solar eclipse from the lunar surface.
Lunar Resources Registry carried a virtual NFT payload aboard this mission.
Hakuto-R Mission 2 / “Resilience” (ispace) – FAILURE
Launched: 15 January 2025 (rideshare with Blue Ghost 1) · Landing attempt: 5–6 June 2025
ispace’s second attempt to land on the Moon targeted Mare Frigoris in the lunar north. Telemetry was lost approximately 90 seconds before touchdown, and the lander is believed to have impacted the surface. ispace’s investigation identified an anomaly in the Laser Range Finder as the most likely cause of the hard landing. The mission carried the European-built Tenacious rover.
Intuitive Machines IM-2 / Nova-C “Athena” – PARTIAL FAILURE
Launched: 27 February 2025 · Landing attempt: 6 March 2025
Athena attempted a touchdown near Mons Mouton at the lunar south pole. Like its predecessor Odysseus, the lander tipped over after a soft touchdown. Its orientation prevented its solar panels from generating sufficient power, ending the mission within hours. Controllers were nonetheless able to briefly operate NASA’s PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment) before power was lost.
Lunar Trailblazer (NASA) – FAILURE
Launched: 26 February 2025 (rideshare with IM-2) · Mission declared lost: mid-2025
This small NASA orbiter was designed to map water and hydroxyl on the lunar surface in unprecedented detail. Communication problems began shortly after launch, and after nearly six months of recovery efforts NASA formally ended the mission.
Artemis II (NASA, crewed) – SUCCESS
Launched: 1 April 2026
The first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. Four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft completed a lunar flyby and returned safely to Earth. Artemis II is a major milestone in NASA’s plan to return humans to the lunar surface and validated the SLS launch vehicle, Orion, and the European Service Module for crewed operations.
Upcoming Missions (2026 and beyond)
Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 (Pathfinder) – Planned 2026
Blue Origin’s first lunar landing attempt will use the uncrewed Mark 1 cargo lander, launching on a New Glenn rocket. The mission is a pathfinder for the company’s larger crewed Blue Moon Mark 2, which will eventually support Artemis crewed missions. NASA has tentatively manifested the revived VIPER ice-prospecting rover for a follow-on Mark 1 flight.
Astrobotic Griffin-1 – Planned 2026
Astrobotic’s second attempt at a lunar landing, targeting the Nobile region near the south pole. Griffin is substantially larger than Peregrine and will launch on a Falcon Heavy. Originally intended to carry VIPER, Griffin-1 will now carry Astrolab’s FLIP rover (a prototype for the larger FLEX rover being pitched for Artemis).
Intuitive Machines IM-3 – Planned H2 2026
Targeting Reiner Gamma, one of the Moon’s most enigmatic magnetic anomalies (“lunar swirls”). The lander will carry payloads for NASA, ESA, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).
Chang’e 7 (China) – Planned H2 2026
A major Chinese mission targeting the rim of Shackleton crater near the south pole to survey for water ice and other volatiles. Chang’e 7 includes an orbiter, lander, rover, and — notably — a hopping probe designed to investigate permanently shadowed regions where ice is most likely to persist.
Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2 – Planned NET November 2026
Firefly’s second Blue Ghost will carry NASA’s LuSEE-Night (Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment at Night) to the lunar far side, intended to operate as the first radio telescope on the Moon. The mission will also carry the UAE’s Rashid 2 rover and will debut Firefly’s Elytra Dark space tug, which will additionally insert ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder communications relay satellite into lunar orbit.
ispace–Draper APEX 1.0 – Planned 2026
A US/Japan collaboration delivering NASA science instruments to the Schrödinger Basin on the far side.
Chandrayaan-4 (India) – Planned 2027–2028
ISRO’s planned robotic sample-return mission, building on the successful Chandrayaan-3 south-polar landing in 2023.
Chang’e 8 (China) – Planned 2028
A south-polar mission focused on in-situ resource utilisation experiments, laying groundwork for China’s planned International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
Artemis III (NASA) – Revised plan, late 2027
In February 2026, NASA confirmed a revised plan for Artemis III: rather than a crewed lunar landing, the mission will perform docking tests in Earth orbit with one or both of the contracted Human Landing Systems (SpaceX Starship HLS and Blue Origin Blue Moon Mk2). Artemis IV is now tentatively designated as the first crewed lunar landing of the program, scheduled for 2028.
At a Glance
| Mission | Operator | Year | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peregrine 1 | Astrobotic (US) | 2024 | Failure |
| SLIM + LEV-1/LEV-2 | JAXA (Japan) | 2024 | Partial success |
| IM-1 Odysseus | Intuitive Machines (US) | 2024 | Partial success |
| Chang’e 6 | CNSA (China) | 2024 | Success (far-side sample return) |
| Blue Ghost 1 | Firefly (US) | 2025 | Success |
| Hakuto-R M2 Resilience | ispace (Japan) | 2025 | Failure |
| IM-2 Athena | Intuitive Machines (US) | 2025 | Partial failure |
| Lunar Trailblazer | NASA (US) | 2025 | Failure |
| Artemis II | NASA (US) | 2026 | Success (crewed flyby) |
| Blue Moon Mk1 | Blue Origin (US) | 2026 (planned) | — |
| Griffin-1 | Astrobotic (US) | 2026 (planned) | — |
| IM-3 | Intuitive Machines (US) | 2026 (planned) | — |
| Chang’e 7 | CNSA (China) | 2026 (planned) | — |
| Blue Ghost 2 | Firefly (US) | 2026 (planned) | — |
Lunar Resources Registry tracks all human activity on the Moon. For detailed mission registrations, see our Lunar Public Registry.