Exploring the Successes and Failures of Moon Landings

A flock of birds flies in front of the full moon above the city center in Tallinn, Estonia, on October 17, 2024. The quest to land a spacecraft on the moon has been filled with both triumphs and setbacks.

Recently, Intuitive Machines faced a setback when their lunar lander landed sideways on the moon through a NASA-sponsored program. Sadly, within 24 hours, the lander’s batteries died, ending the mission prematurely.

Last year, Intuitive Machines managed a longer mission, marking the return of U.S. operations to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program concluded.

In a brighter highlight, Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its lunar lander, becoming the first private company to achieve a fully successful moon landing.

Both companies from Texas are part of NASA's ongoing efforts to facilitate commercial deliveries to the moon, paving the way for manned missions later this decade.

However, the moon's surface is scattered with remnants of past failed landings. Here's a closer look at the milestones and mishaps in lunar landing history:

First Victories

The Soviet Union achieved a major milestone in 1966 when Luna 9 successfully landed on the moon, overcoming earlier attempts that either crashed or missed entirely. This victory was followed just four months later by the United States with Surveyor 1. Both nations would go on to accomplish more robotic landings as they raced to land humans on the moon.

Apollo Rules

NASA celebrated the ultimate triumph in the space race against the Soviets in 1969 when Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Over six missions, twelve astronauts explored the lunar surface before the program concluded with Apollo 17 in 1972. The U.S. remains the only country to have sent humans to the moon, yet plans are in place to return astronauts by the end of 2026, following a lunar fly-around.

China Emerges

China became the third nation to land on the moon in 2013 with the Yutu rover, which translates to jade rabbit. In 2019, China successfully landed the Yutu-2 rover on the moon's far side, a remarkable first. Their 2020 sample return mission to the moon’s near side captured almost 4 pounds (1.7 kilograms) of lunar rocks. Another sample return from the far side in 2024 collected materials from the lesser-known lunar area. As NASA's primary competitor, China aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

Russia Stumbles

In 2023, Russia attempted its first moon landing in nearly 50 years with the Luna 25 spacecraft, but unfortunately, it crashed upon touchdown. The prior Russian lander, Luna 24 from 1976, had successfully landed and even returned moon rocks to Earth.

India Triumphs on Second Attempt

Following an unsuccessful attempt that saw its first lander crash in 2019, India regrouped and launched Chandrayaan-3 in 2023. This time, the lander achieved a successful touchdown, making India the fourth country to accomplish a lunar landing, and it happened just four days after Russia's crash.

Japan Lands Sideways

Japan became the fifth country to successfully land on the moon when its spacecraft touched down in January 2024. Unfortunately, the craft landed at an angle, affecting its ability to generate solar power, but it managed to send back images and data before it fell silent due to the prolonged lunar night.

Private Moon Landing Attempts

In 2019, a privately funded lunar lander named Beresheet from Israel crashed on the moon. A venture by a Japanese entrepreneur, ispace, also attempted a landing in 2023 but met a similar fate.

However, Intuitive Machines became the first private entity to complete a safe moon landing. Although their lander tipped over in 2024, it operated briefly before losing communication. Additionally, Astrobotic Technology faced challenges in 2024, attempting to send a lander but ultimately returning to Earth due to a fuel leak, leading to a fiery demise in the Pacific.

This year marked an increase in private ventures to the moon, starting with Firefly's successful landing of its Blue Ghost lander, which delivered experiments for NASA. Following that, Intuitive Machines encountered another toppled landing. There is still anticipation for another commercial landing, as Japan's ispace company aims to land on June 5, after a shared rocket ride from Florida with Blue Ghost back in January.

moon, landing, spacecraft, missions, success