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| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ispace | Astrobotic | CNSA |
| Prime contractor | Draper | Astrobotic | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) |
| Status | In development | Lost | Landed |
| Customer | NASA-CLPS | NASA-CLPS | CNSA |
| Launch date | 2027 (NET) | 2024-01-08 | 2024-05-03 |
| Landing date | — | — | 2024-06-01 |
| Landing site | Schrödinger Basin, lunar far side near south pole | Sinus Viscositatis (planned; never reached) | Apollo crater, South Pole-Aitken Basin (lunar far side) |
| Payload | 300 kg surface payload capacity (2026-05-28) | 20 payloads from 7 nations (2024-01-08) | 1,935.3 g of lunar far-side regolith returned to Earth (2024-06-25) |
| Contract value | $73M (2022-07-21) | $108M (2024-01-08) | — |
| Outcome | Pivoted from Series-2 to APEX 1.0 architecture for higher payload capacity and far-side comms via two relay satellites. Far-side polar landing supports NASA's Endurance-A sample-return precursor science. | Maiden flight of ULA's Vulcan Centaur. Helium pressurant valve failed to reseal post-actuation, over-pressurizing the oxidizer tank and rupturing it. Lander commanded into controlled re-entry; burned up over South Pacific 2024-01-18. | 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. |
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Underlying dataset: GET /api/moon/landers. Methodology: /moon/methodology.