TOKYO: Japan, whose unmanned “sniper” probe will make an attempt a lunar landing on Saturday, is one of many nations and private firms launching new missions to the Moon. It is a feat so far only achieved by four countries including the US, Russia and China — with spacecraft repeatedly losing communication or crash-landing.
Modern lunar exploration programs include plans to send humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972 and eventually set up bases there.
United States
The first nation to land on the Moon wants to build a presence there as a pitstop for missions to Mars. But the US has faced two major setbacks this month, as NASA suspended plans for crewed lunar missions and a private lander had to turn back following leaking fuel.
Under the US space agency’s Artemis mission, astronauts had been due to fly around the Moon in 2024 but the mission has been pushed back to 2025 to allow for more safety checks.
A third Artemis voyage — to put the 1st woman and first person of colour on lunar — is now scheduled for 2026 rather than 2025.
Even that may be optimistic, due to the Artemis 3 lander, a modified version of SpaceX’s next-gen Starship rocket, has exploded in two flights.
NASA adds commercial tie-ups give it “more shots on target” although its Peregrine lunar lander, made by American company Astrobotic, failed when it lost fuel following take-off.
Russia
The Luna-25 mission in August was meant to mark Moscow’s return to independent lunar exploration, about half a century following the ex-Soviet Union last landed on the Moon.
But the lander crashed on lunar surface, where it was meant to collect samples to analyze soil for one year. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been working to strengthen space cooperation with Beijing after relations with West broke down after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Kyiv.
China
China has also pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space programme as Beijing chases its “space dream” under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
A decade since the Chang’e-3 became first China’s spacecraft to land on Moon, Beijing is now pursuing plans to send a crewed mission by the year 2030 and also set up a base there.
Japan
Japanese firm ispace also attempted a soft lunar landing in April 2023 but crashed, becoming the 3rd private entity to have failed in the endeavour.
Similarly, space agency JAXA has also suffered a run of bad luck, losing communication with its Omotenashi lunar probe carried on Artemis 1 in the year of 2022.
The pressure is on, however, as nations from South Korea to the UAE ramp up efforts to be the next to make lunar history.
