A human lunar return may be off the table, according to President Barack Obama, and is not an idea that Mitt Romney is enamored of, according to Politico. But robotic exploration of Earth's nearest neighbor is alive and well.
Europe's MoonNext
The European Space Agency is planning a mission to be launched in 2018 that it has dubbed MoonNext, according to the Spaceports blog. A 1-ton payload would land on the lunar South Pole and would deploy equipment that is planned to be operational for one year. A small rover would be released to roll across the lunar surface to prospect for minerals, including lunar ice trapped inside permanently shadowed craters. Russia will be a partner in the effort.
Chang'e 3, 4 and 5
China's lunar exploration program proceeds apace. With two lunar orbit missions, Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 completed, China is looking ahead to robotic lunar landings. According to SinoDefense, Chang'e 3 will consist of a lander and a rover, currently scheduled to launch in 2013. The probe will be powered by a plutonium powered radioisotope thermoelectric generator so it can operate during a lunar night. Since two identical probes are being built, another lander/rover mission, designated Chang'e 4 would likely be launched on a later date. Finally, Chang'e 5, according to Xinhua, would launch in 2017, land on the moon, obtain a small sample of lunar material, and then return it to Earth.
Luna Glop and Luna Grunt
Russia, even though its probe to the moon of Mars Phobos failed recently, is planning a series of unmanned probes to the moon. Luna Glob 1, scheduled for launch in 2014 or 2015, would consist of an orbiter and a series of Japanese designed penetrators that would slam into the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 landing sites and take seismographic readings, according to Universe Today. Luna Glob 2 would be a joint mission between Russia and India, consisting of an orbiter and a lunar rover. Russia is also planning two :Luna Grunt missions, similar to the Phobos probe that failed, that would return lunar samples to Earth.
While America's lunar exploration program is all but moribund, a private group has started a competition for the first privately funded lunar robotic expedition. A total of $30 million in prizes is being offered, including a $20 million prize to land a robotic probe on the lunar surface, send a rover across the lunar surface at least 500 meters, and return high definition video and images. There is a $5 million prize for the second successful lunar landing. There is $4 million for achieving secondary objectives, such as operating during the lunar night, and a $1 million "diversity" prize. There are 26 teams now competing for the Google Lunar X Prize, with possible launch dates as early as 2013.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.
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