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| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ESA | CNSA | SpaceX |
| Prime contractor | Thales Alenia Space (prime) | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) | SpaceX |
| Status | In development | In development | In development |
| Customer | ESA | CNSA | NASA-HLS |
| Launch date | 2031 (NET) — ArgoNET operational mission | 2026-08 (NET) | 2027 (NET — Artemis III) |
| Landing date | — | — | — |
| Landing site | Lunar south pole region (specific site TBD) | Shackleton crater illuminated rim, lunar south pole | Lunar south pole (NASA-curated candidate region near 84-90°S) |
| Payload | Up to 2,100 kg payload (~10,000 kg launch mass) (2025-01-30) | 18 science payloads across orbiter, lander, rover, mini-hopper, and Queqiao-2 (2026-05-28) | ~100 tonnes to lunar surface (sustained variant target) (2024-04-16) |
| Contract value | €862M (2025-01-30) | — | $2.89B + $1.15B Option B = $4.04B total (2022-11-15) |
| Outcome | Europe's first dedicated lunar lander program. Designed to deliver cargo, infrastructure, and surface assets supporting Artemis-era operations. Argonaut Mission 1 demonstration NET 2030; first operational mission ArgoNET in 2031. | China's first dedicated lunar south-pole prospecting mission. Mini-flying probe hops into permanently shadowed regions to sample for water-ice volatiles. Italian laser retroreflector aboard the lander. | Selected April 2021 as sole HLS provider for Artemis III. Architecture requires Super Heavy launch + multiple Starship tanker refueling flights in LEO + transit to NRHO + rendezvous with Orion (SLS). NASA OIG IG-26-004 (March 2026) flagged crew-rescue capability as open risk. October 2025: NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy reopened Artemis III lander contract to competition due to Starship development pace. |
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Underlying dataset: GET /api/moon/landers. Methodology: /moon/methodology.