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| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA | JAXA | Firefly Aerospace |
| Prime contractor | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) | Mitsubishi Electric | Firefly Aerospace |
| Status | Landed | Landed | Landed |
| Customer | CNSA | JAXA | NASA-CLPS |
| Launch date | 2024-05-03 | 2023-09-06 | 2025-01-15 |
| Landing date | 2024-06-01 | 2024-01-19 | 2025-03-02 |
| Landing site | Apollo crater, South Pole-Aitken Basin (lunar far side) | Near Shioli crater, Mare Nectaris (~10 m precision vs 100 m target) | Mare Crisium near Mons Latreille (lunar near side) |
| Payload | 1,935.3 g of lunar far-side regolith returned to Earth (2024-06-25) | LEV-1 (2.1 kg hopper) + LEV-2 'SORA-Q' (0.25 kg sphere) (2024-01-19) | 10 NASA CLPS payloads (2025-03-02) |
| Contract value | — | — | $101.5M (2025-03-02) |
| Outcome | First-ever sample return from the lunar far side and the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Used the Queqiao-2 relay satellite for far-side comms. Samples revealed unexpectedly cohesive grain behavior and excavated material from the Moon's mantle. | First Japanese soft landing; made Japan the 5th nation to soft-land on the Moon. One of two main engines failed at ~50 m altitude; lander touched down on its side but still met 100-m precision goal. Survived four lunar-night cycles despite not being designed for it; declared concluded 2024-08-23. | First fully successful commercial soft landing on the Moon (upright, full mission). Operated 346 hours (~14.4 lunar days of daylight + post-sunset science) before battery depletion. Awarded the 2025 Collier Trophy. |
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