- Chang'e 4 (China): Chang'e 4 is a Chinese lunar probe that successfully landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019. It consists of a lander and a rover, both of which are still operational and performing scientific investigations on the Moon.
- Chandrayaan-2 (India): Chandrayaan-2 is an Indian lunar mission that was launched in July 2019. It consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. While the lander and rover did not successfully land on the Moon, the orbiter remains operational and is conducting remote sensing observations.
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) (USA): LRO is a NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting the Moon since 2009. It is primarily a reconnaissance mission, providing high-resolution images and other data to support future lunar exploration missions. LRO also carries scientific instruments to study the Moon's geology, atmosphere, and environment.
- Queqiao (China): Queqiao is a Chinese lunar relay satellite that was launched in May 2018. It is positioned at the Lagrange point L2, which is about 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) beyond the Moon, and serves as a communications relay between the Moon and Earth for the Chang'e 4 mission.
Upcoming
- Artemis I (USA): Artemis I is the first mission of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2024. Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), which will be the most powerful rocket ever built. Launch is scheduled for August 2022.
- Lunokhod-2 (Russia): Lunokhod-2 is a planned Russian lunar rover mission. It is scheduled to launch in 2023 and will be the first Russian lunar mission since 1976. Lunokhod-2 will explore the lunar south pole and search for water ice.
- Danuri (South Korea): Danuri (also known as Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter) is a South Korean lunar orbiter mission. It is scheduled to launch in August 2022 and will study the Moon's surface, environment, and resources.
These are just some of the current and upcoming missions that are orbiting or will orbit the Moon. The exploration of the Moon is an ongoing endeavor, with many countries and organizations participating in missions to learn more about Earth's closest celestial neighbor.
