Lunar Landing Events at 2024
In the annals of space exploration, the year 2023 will be remembered for its lunar symbolism. A myriad of lunar endeavors were embarked upon.
This year 2024 is poised to continue this lunar-centric trend.
Herein, I categorize and elucidate the significant lunar events slated for this year.
1. Private Sector Lunar Landing Endeavors
The Japanese space venture, ispace, embarked on a lunar landing mission in 2023. Despite not achieving success due to a mismatch in effective velocity, the endeavor was commendable.
Three competitors share this ambition, each poised to attempt their own landings within 2024.
While some schedules remain tentative, a visual representation has been crafted for clarity.
Synthesized from various corporate sites and media outlets, we enumerate the companies along their respective timelines of challenge:
Astrobotics Technology, the vanguard of this group, has already embarked on its journey. However, they recently conceded their lunar arrival due to unforeseen complications.
In the coming months, a succession of new ventures will commence (including ispace’s potential second foray), warranting unwavering attention.
2. National Lunar Landing Initiatives
Furthermore, several pivotal events orchestrated by national entities are on the horizon.
Foremost is SLIM, a lunar lander administered by Japan’s JAXA. It is anticipated to make landfall immediately after January 20th (in the wee hours of the 19th at Japan Standard Time).
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SLIM’s innovation lies in its landing versatility.
The lunar terrain, replete with craters and inclines, traditionally restricts viable landing zones. Historical missions have prudently selected flat terrains.
SLIM’s landing mechanism is ingeniously designed. Its success would diminish landing site constraints, revolutionizing future lunar exploration methodologies.
Historically, lunar landings have predominantly occurred on the moon’s near side.
This is attributed to the communication challenges encountered when traversing to the moon’s far side. The simplicity of this rationale is refreshing. ?
While aerial imaging has been successful, an actual descent onto the moon’s far side has remained elusive.
This monumental achievement belongs to China’s Chang’e Project.
Chang’e, akin to Princess Kaguya or a celestial maiden in Japanese mythology, is revered as a lunar deity. In parallel, the Greek mythos heralds “Artemis” in a similar role.
The Chang’e Project has triumphed up to its fifth iteration, with Chang’e 4 marking humanity’s inaugural landing on the moon’s far side.
Chang’e 5 returned with lunar samples, unveiling groundbreaking discoveries.
China’s Chang’e 5 lunar samples have been analyzed, revealing Helium-3, a fusion material readily extractable, as detailed in a recent publication.
Chang’e 6 is slated for launch this year, targeting a sample return from the moon’s far side.
Should this mission unearth new resources, it could ignite a global race for lunar exploitation.
In this light, Japan’s accomplishment as the fifth nation to successfully land on the moon is a testament to its technological prowess and commitment to space exploration.
This milestone not only cements Japan’s position in the annals of spacefaring nations but also inspires a future where celestial bodies become a frontier for human ingenuity and perseverance.
Thus, the stage is set for a year replete with a mélange of public and private lunar expeditions, each vying for their place in history.
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1 年Fukuoka san, I am personally very excited on this topic…. When I was a youth my favorite thing to do was to look up the sky and just night-dreaming without sleep! Thank you for sharing and updating!