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| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ispace | Intuitive Machines | SpaceX |
| Prime contractor | ispace | Intuitive Machines | SpaceX |
| Status | Lost | Landed | In development |
| Customer | private | NASA-CLPS | NASA-HLS |
| Launch date | 2022-12-11 | 2024-02-15 | 2027 (NET — Artemis III) |
| Landing date | 2023-04-25 | 2024-02-22 | — |
| Landing site | Atlas crater, Mare Frigoris (planned; impacted at altitude ~5 km) | Malapert A crater, ~300 km from lunar south pole | Lunar south pole (NASA-curated candidate region near 84-90°S) |
| Payload | Rashid rover (10 kg, UAE/MBRSC) + Sora-Q (0.25 kg, JAXA) + commercial (2023-04-25) | ~100 kg payload capacity (1,908 kg launch mass) (2024-02-22) | ~100 tonnes to lunar surface (sustained variant target) (2024-04-16) |
| Contract value | — | $118M (2024-02-15) | $2.89B + $1.15B Option B = $4.04B total (2022-11-15) |
| Outcome | Travelled ~1.4M km — at the time, furthest a privately funded spacecraft had flown. Software flagged the radar altimeter as faulty after the lander crossed a crater rim cliff and ignored its readings. Lander ran out of fuel hovering ~5 km above surface and free-fell. | First US Moon landing since Apollo 17 and first commercial soft landing in history. Lander tipped to ~30° on touchdown after landing-leg failure but transmitted data for ~7 days before sunset. | 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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