Retroreflectors are devices which reflect light back to its source. Six were left at six sites on the Moon by three crews of the Apollo program, two by remote landers of the Lunokhod program, and one by the Chandrayaan program.[1] Lunar reflectors have enabled precise measurement of the Earth–Moon distance since 1969 using lunar laser ranging.[2]
Several unsuccessful attempts to land retroreflectors on the lunar surface have been made, and several future attempts are planned.
Operator | Mission | Name | Date | Location | Coordinates | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SpaceIL, IAI | Beresheet | Beresheet | 11 April 2019 | Mare Serenitatis | 32°35′44″N 19°20′59″E / 32.5956°N 19.3496°E / 32.5956; 19.3496 | Crashed | [19][20][21] |
ISRO | Chandrayaan-2 | Vikram | 6 September 2019 | 70°52′52″S 22°47′02″E / 70.8810°S 22.7840°E / -70.8810; 22.7840 | Crashed | [22][23] | |
Moon Express | Lunar Scout | MoonLIGHTonMX-1E | July 2020 | Malapert Mountain | 84°54′S 12°54′E / 84.9°S 12.9°E / -84.9; 12.9 | Cancelled | [24][25] |
Astrobotic | Mission One | LRAonPeregrine | May 2023 | Lacus Mortis | Aborted, controlled re-entry |
[26] | |
Roscosmos | Luna 25 | Luna 25 | August 2023 | Boguslawsky (crater) | Crashed | [27][28][29] | |
Intuitive Machines | IM-1 | LRAonNova-C IM-1 | February 2024 | Malapert (crater) | Failed | [30][26] |