CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The quest to land spacecraft on the moon has seen its fair share of successes and setbacks over the years. Last year, Intuitive Machines achieved a significant milestone under a NASA-supported initiative, marking the United States’ return to the lunar surface since the Apollo era. However, their lander ended up on its side after landing and only managed to function for a short duration on the moon’s landscape.
Now, Firefly Aerospace has joined the list of successful ventures by landing its lunar lander without incident, making it the first private company to execute such an accomplishment seamlessly. These achievements by US companies are part of NASA’s ongoing strategy to support commercial lunar missions in preparation for future astronaut landings.
The moon’s surface bears witness to numerous failed landing attempts over time. A look at past endeavors reveals a mix of triumphs and failures:
The pioneering triumphs of lunar exploration began with Luna 9 from the Soviet Union, which managed a safe landing in 1966 following prior failures. The United States joined the list of successful landings a few months later with Surveyor 1. Next, it was the turn of humans; Apollo 11’s successful landing in 1969 placed the US ahead in the space race with the Soviet Union. Over a span of six missions, 12 astronauts explored the lunar terrain before the Apollo program concluded in 1972. The US remains the only country to have sent humans to the moon, with plans to return a crew by 2026, following a planned lunar flyby.
China advanced significantly in 2013, becoming the third nation to achieve a successful moon landing with its rover Yutu. In 2019, China accomplished a groundbreaking landing on the moon’s far side with Yutu-2. A 2020 mission returned significant lunar samples weighing nearly 4 pounds, with plans for another sample return in 2024. Considered a formidable competitor to NASA, China aims to place its astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Russia faced challenges in 2023, when its Luna 25 spacecraft crashed during an attempted landing, marking its first lunar mission in nearly 50 years. The country last landed successfully with Luna 24 in 1976, which returned moon samples to Earth.
India, after an initial setback in 2019, succeeded with Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, securing its place as the fourth nation to achieve a lunar landing, just days after Russia’s mishap.
Japan followed, achieving a successful landing in January when its spacecraft touched the lunar surface. Although it faced technical issues landing on the wrong side, it sent data and images back before losing communication.
In terms of private attempts, Israel’s privately funded Beresheet mission ended in a crash in 2019. Similarly, a Japanese company, ispace, faced a crash during their 2023 attempt. Intuitive Machines pursued success in 2024 by achieving a safe touchdown, although its lander tipped and had only limited communication capability. Another US-based company, Astrobotic Technology, had to abandon its mission due to a fuel leak, resulting in the lander burning up upon Earth reentry.
This year has seen heightened private interest in lunar missions, evidenced by Firefly Aerospace’s successful landing of Blue Ghost, completing a delivery for NASA. Both Intuitive Machines and ispace have scheduled more lunar missions.
