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Getting there
The Earth-to-cislunar delivery layer - launch vehicles and orbital transfer that carry the landers.
Cargo ICPS upper stage providing TLI for Orion on Artemis I Block 1. · Artemis I · 2022-11-16 SLS Block 1 core stage - heavy-lift national launch for Artemis I. · Artemis I · 2022-11-16 AstroForge Odin asteroid-flyby spacecraft launched as an independent rideshare on the IM-2 Falcon 9 stack. · IM-2 Athena · 2025-02-27 NASA Lunar Trailblazer lunar-ice orbiter launched as independent rideshare on IM-2 Falcon 9 stack. · IM-2 Athena · 2025-02-27 ICPS TLI stage for Artemis II Orion. · Artemis II · 2026-04-01 SLS Block 1 launch stack for Artemis II crewed flight. · Artemis II · 2026-04-01 AstroForge Vestri asteroid-rendezvous spacecraft launching as an independent rideshare on the IM-3 Falcon 9 stack. · IM-3 Trinity · NET H2 2026 National heavy-lift + crew vehicle stack delivering crew to cislunar for HLS rendezvous class. · Artemis III · NET 2027 SpaceX Starship is NASA's contracted human landing system and a heavy cargo lander class. · Starship Lunar Cargo (HLS path) · NET late 2020s-2030s (HLS path) Gateway's first habitation module. · Artemis IV · NET 2028 First SLS Block 1B flight: Boeing EUS launches Orion with co-manifested Lunar I-Hab. · Artemis IV · NET 2028 Reusable in-space tug/refueler for Blue Moon MK2: Lockheed tug + tanker launch on New Glenn, assemble in LEO, haul cryogens to NRHO and refuel the lander. · Artemis V · NET ~2030 class SLS Block 1B with Boeing Exploration Upper Stage launches Orion and co-manifested Lunar View on Artemis V. · Artemis V · NET ~2030 class
Jobs SpaceX Falcon 9 launched SpaceIL's Beresheet lander as a rideshare. Kennedy Space Center / Cape Canaveral Falcon 9 (and Falcon Heavy path) operations that launched or will launch CLPS and private lunar landers (IM, Firefly. Spaceflight Industries arranged Falcon 9 secondary payload launch integration for SpaceIL Beresheet. CNSA/CAST ascent stage from lunar surface to lunar orbit for sample canister transfer on Chang'e-5. CAST service module (orbiter) provided lunar-orbit support, automated rendezvous/docking with ascender, sample canister handoff, and Earth-return trajectory. CASC's Long March 5 launched Chang'e-5 from Wenchang. Integrated uncrewed exploration stack: Space Launch System Block 1 and Orion spacecraft. Boeing is the industrial prime for the Space Launch System core stage. Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for SLS Block 1 - ULA build, DCSS heritage. SpaceX Falcon 9 launch service for ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 (rideshare / dedicated lunar path). ISRO's LVM3 (GSLV Mk III) launched Chandrayaan-3. Roscosmos launched Luna-25 on a Soyuz-2.1b with a Fregat-M upper stage from Vostochny. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H-IIA 202 launched JAXA's SLIM lander. ULA's Vulcan Centaur Cert-1 rocket launched Peregrine Mission One. SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Intuitive Machines' IM-1 Odysseus lander. Intuitive Machines CLPS delivery service for Odysseus / TO2-IM - program seat for the stack. Chang'e-6's ascent stage, built by CNSA/CAST, lifted the sample canister from the far side. CASC's Long March 5 launched Chang'e-6. SpaceX Falcon 9 launched ispace Hakuto-R Mission 2 Resilience. SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1. AstroForge Odin asteroid-flyby spacecraft launched as rideshare on Intuitive Machines IM-2 Falcon 9 stack (independent of Athena surface ops). Epic Aerospace Chimera GEO 1 orbital transfer vehicle flew as rideshare on IM-2 Falcon 9 mission. SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Intuitive Machines' IM-2 Athena lander. NASA Lunar Trailblazer lunar-ice orbiter launched as independent rideshare on IM-2 Falcon 9 stack. AstroForge Vestri / DeepSpace-2 launches as a Falcon 9 rideshare with IM-3. SpaceX Falcon 9 is the public launch vehicle path for Intuitive Machines IM-3 Nova-C (CLPS heritage stack). Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander delivery service for CP-11 Reiner Gamma CLPS suite (IM-3). Intuitive Machines Nova-C Trinity lander delivery for IM-3. Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance is Blue Origin's cargo lander, NASA Moon Base I, aimed at Shackleton Connecting Ridge. SpaceX Falcon Heavy is the public launch vehicle for Astrobotic Griffin-1. Program-level CLPS task order for Griffin Mission 1. New Glenn is Blue Origin's heavy rocket for Blue Moon MK1. New Glenn is Blue Origin's heavy rocket for Blue Moon MK1 and the VIPER cargo path. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket and Photon stage launched CAPSTONE toward its lunar halo orbit. Rocket Lab Electron firm-fixed-price launch contract class ~$9.95M public for CAPSTONE (separate from Advanced Space CubeSat contract). Elytra Dark is Firefly's orbital tug on Blue Ghost Mission 2. SpaceX Falcon 9 tracked as launch path for Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2 dual stack (NET late 2026). Intuitive Machines Nova-C delivery service for CP-22 Artemis science/tech CLPS suite (IM-4). Rocket Lab's Lunar Photon stage raised CAPSTONE's orbit after Electron launch. HALO is Gateway's first habitation module. Public HLS architecture: Starship tanker flights refill a propellant depot (or ship-to-ship transfer) in Earth orbit so the HLS lander can load cryogenic. Super Heavy launches Starship HLS / tanker / depot variants from Earth. New Glenn is Blue Origin's public launch vehicle for the Blue Moon CS-7 VIPER delivery. Firefly Elytra Dark transfers Blue Ghost M4 to lunar orbit and remains as long-haul comms relay. Blue Moon Mark 2 crew/cargo lander under NASA SLD: second human landing system provider for recurring Artemis surface expeditions. Lockheed Martin builds the reusable cislunar tug/tanker that refuels Blue Moon MK2 in NRHO.
Flights Beresheet 2019-02-22 · SpaceIL / IAI Beresheet - private/national hybrid soft-landing attempt. Chang'e-5 2020-11-23 · CNSA national lunar sample-return (near side). Artemis I 2022-11-16 · First integrated Artemis flight test: uncrewed SLS Block 1 + Orion. Hakuto-R Mission 1 2022-12-11 · Private Japanese lander. Chandrayaan-3 2023-07-14 · ISRO national soft-landing mission near lunar south polar highlands. Luna-25 2023-08-10 · Roscosmos national polar lander (Luna-25). SLIM 2023-09-07 · JAXA SLIM precision soft-landing demo. Peregrine Mission One 2024-01-08 · First CLPS launch. IM-1 Odysseus 2024-02-15 · IM-1 Odysseus (TO2-IM): first commercial soft landing (Feb 2024). Chang'e-6 2024-05-03 · CNSA national far-side lunar sample-return via Queqiao-2 relay. Hakuto-R Mission 2 Resilience 2025-01-15 · Commercial payloads ~$16M. Blue Ghost Mission 1 2025-01-15 · Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 (TO19D ~$93.3M): Falcon 9 launch 2025-01-15 · soft landing (upright) Mare Crisium 2025-03-02 · all 10 NASA. IM-2 Athena 2025-02-27 · IM-2 Athena (PRIME-1 path): south polar attempt (Mar 2025). Artemis II 2026-04-01 · First crewed Artemis flight: SLS + Orion lunar flyby. IM-3 Trinity NET H2 2026 · Intuitive Machines IM-3 (CLPS CP-11): Nova-C Trinity - NASA Moon Base III. Griffin-1 (Moon Base II) NET late 2026 · Astrobotic / Voyager Lunar Systems Griffin Mission One - NASA Moon Base II. Blue Moon MK1 Endurance (Moon Base I) NET fall 2026 · Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance - NASA Moon Base I. CAPSTONE 02 NET 2027 · NASA CAPSTONE 02 - two identical ~400 kg-class smallsats (Terran Orbital bus. Blue Ghost Mission 2 NET 2027 · Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2 (CS-3 ~$112M, charter-bg2): planned far-side dual-stack (Blue Ghost stacked on Elytra Dark + ESA Lunar. IM-4 NET ~2027 · Six NASA science payloads to Mons Mouton / south polar highlands. Artemis III NET 2027 · First crewed Artemis lunar landing architecture (SLS + Orion + HLS). VIPER on Blue Moon (CS-7) NET late 2027 (contingent) · VIPER polar rover on second Blue Moon MK1 (CS-7). Starship Lunar Cargo (HLS path) NET late 2020s-2030s (HLS path) · SpaceX Starship lunar architecture: NASA HLS crew lander path (Option A/B) plus heavy cargo configurations. Artemis IV NET 2028 · National crewed lunar landing architecture after Artemis III. Blue Ghost Mission 4 NET ~2029 · South-pole CLPS with multiple rovers (MoonRanger, CSA path) and instruments. Artemis V NET ~2030 class · NASA names Artemis V as the flight that delivers ESA Lunar View to Gateway and flies the third crewed lunar surface expedition.