NASA’s recent Artemis I mission has put the spotlight back on lunar exploration, so let’s take a look at the moon missions set for 2023.
NASA’s recent Artemis I mission involving an astronaut-ready spacecraft performing a flyby of the moon has helped to put our closest celestial neighbor in the spotlight once again.
Orion’s voyage, which concluded on December 11 after 25 days in space, comes ahead of five more missions targeting the moon in 2023, organized by multiple nations.
So let’s take a look at what to expect:
Japan is aiming to create a commercial lunar lander capable of deploying multiple payloads to the surface of the moon. On this test mission, the Hakuto-R lander will attempt to deploy a rover called Rashid from the United Arab Emirates as part of the Arab nation’s first lunar mission. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched earlier this month, with the lander set to reach the lunar surface in April.
The briefcase-sized Lunar Flashlight traveled to space with the Hakuto-R lander. The spacecraft won’t touch down on the lunar surface, but will instead spend the next three months using lasers to search for water ice in craters at the moon’s South Pole.
