Race to Return to the Moon

The moon is our closest neighbor in outer space. It is also the only celestial body that human beings have actually managed to land on. Considering the success that NASA had with the moon landing with Apollo 11 where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin managed to touch the surface of the moon way back in 1969, it is strange to see no more moon missions taking place after that.

NASA may have shifted it’s focus to Mars for the next manned mission, but there are other space agencies who are ready to take up the challenge to return to the moon. The European Space Agency (ESA) wants to build a permanent base on the moon. It would be similar to the International Space Station allowing astronauts of different nations to come together and work on mutual goals.

The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) is currently hoping to land a rover on the far side of the moon. They are targeting reaching the Aitken Basin by 2018. If the mission is a success they may send manned missions to the moon by 2030.

Roscosmon, the Russian space agency is also drawing up plans for a manned moon landing by 2030.  Currently their Luna series of orbiters and landers are working towards exploring the resources available on the moon.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is working on a high precision landing on the moon’s surface in 2018 of a lunar lander and rover. The Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon or SLIM is a small 120 kg craft.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is also looking at a moon landing in 2018 with it’s Chandrayan-2. This is the first time they are not collaborating with another nation and going with their own orbiter, lander and rover.

The moon is likely to get a number of new visitors if all of these science projects are successful.