Comparison of Asian national space programs

Long March 5 heavy-lifted rocket, the most powerful launch vehicle from an Asian country as of 2021.

Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars

China successfully completed its first orbital launch with Long March 1 rocket in 1970. With increased economy and technology strength in the following decades, especially since the early 21st century, China has made significant achievements in many aspects of space activities. It has developed a sizable family of Long March rockets, including Long March 5, the launch vehicle with highest payload capacity in Asia since 2016. Starting from year 2010, China has been conducting more orbital launches than all other Asian countries combined every year.[30]

As of 2021, China is the only Asian country who has independent human spaceflight capability. Following Shenzhou 5, the first successful crewed spaceflight mission in 2003, China has developed critical capabilities including EVA, space docking and berthing and space station. The construction of Tiangong space station, the long-term Chinese space station, began in year 2021, marked by the successful launch of Tianhe core module in April 2021.

As the first step of distance outer space exploration, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program was approved in 2004. It launched two lunar orbiters: Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 in 2007 and 2010 respectively. On 14 December 2013, China successfully soft-landed Chang'e 3 Moon lander and its rover Yutu on the Moon's surface, becoming the first Asian country capable to do so, followed by Chang'e 4, the first ever soft landing on the far side of the Moon, in 2019 and Chang'e 5, the first lunar sample return mission conducted by an Asian country, in 2020, marking the completion of the three goals (orbiting, landing, returning) of the first stage of the program which no other Asian country has achieved previously.[31]

China began its first interplanetary exploration attempt in 2011 by sending Yinghuo-1, a Mars orbiter, in a joint mission with Russia. Yet it failed to leave Earth orbit due to the failure of Russian launch vehicle.[32] As a result, the Chinese space agency then embarked on its independent Mars mission. In July 2020, China launched Tianwen-1, which included an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, on a Long March 5 rocket to Mars. Tianwen-1 was inserted into Mars orbit on 10 February 2021, followed by a successful landing and deployment of the Zhurong rover on 14 May 2021, making China the second country in the world and the first country in Asia which successfully soft-landed a fully operational spacecraft on Mars surface.

In addition to outer space explorations, China's space activities also plays important role in the national economic activities. Since 2019, China each year has launched more orbital vehicles than any other nations,[33][34] with more than 140 spaceflight launched between 2015 and 2020.[31] China is operating multiple satellite systems, including communication, Earth imaging, weather forecast, ocean monitoring. BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, the satellite navigation system developed, launched, and operated by China, is one of the four core system providers and the only Asian provider of International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems.[35]

As part of international space collaboration, China has collaborative projects with Russia, the ESA, and Brazil and offers launch services of commercial satellites for other countries.

In conjunction with public sector space programs, there are also privately owned Chinese companies dedicated on space activities. The private company i-Space achieved Asia's first successful private sector orbital launch in 2019.[36]

GSLV Mk III D2 on launch pad carrying GSAT-29

India's interest in space travel began in the early 1960s, when scientists launched a Nike-Apache rocket from TERLS, Kerala.[37][38] Under Vikram Sarabhai, the program focused on the practical uses of space in increasing the standard of living by sending remote sensing and communications satellites into orbit.[39]

India's space launch vehicles are SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, SSLV, ULV, RLV, HLV and some Sounding Rockets such as Rohini. Some of them are retired and not in operation and some of them are under developmental progress.

The first Indian to travel in space was Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11, launched 2 April 1984 from the USSR.[40]

In 2003, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly urged his country's scientists to work towards sending a man to the Moon.[41] India successfully sent its first probe to the Moon, known as Chandrayaan-1, in October 2008, which helped to find the presence of water in the Moon.[42] The nation also launched its second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, to the south pole of the Moon.[43][44]

ISRO launched its Mars Orbiter Mission (informally called "Mangalyaan") on November 5, 2013, successfully entering orbit around Mars on September 24, 2014. India is the first country in Asia, and the fourth in the world, to perform a successful Mars mission. It is also the only one to do so on the first attempt, at a record low cost of $74 million.[45]

All of these have been launched successfully by PSLVs so far, meaning that the country's scientists have gained significant expertise in space technologies. In June 2016, India set a record by launching 20 satellites simultaneously.[46]

India broke the world record by successfully placing 104 satellites in Earth's orbit from a single rocket launch (PSLV-C37) on February 15, 2017, which almost tripled the previous record of 37, which had been held by Russia.[47][48]

The H-IIA F11 launch vehicle lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan

North Korean nuclear and Chinese military programs represent a serious issue for Japan's foreign relations.[49] Japan is working on military and civilian space technologies, developing missile defense systems and new generations of military spy satellites, as well as planning for the implementation of crewed stations on the Moon.[50] The North Korean government claimed the missile was merely launching a satellite into space, accusing Japan of causing an arms race.[51] Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, adopted after World War II, limits military activities to defensive operations; although in May 2007, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a bold review of the Japanese Constitution to allow the country to take a larger role in global security and foster a revival of national pride.[52] Japan has not yet developed its own crewed spacecraft and does not have a program in place to develop one. The Japanese did develop a space shuttle, HOPE-X, to be launched by the conventional space launcher H-II, but the program was postponed and eventually cancelled. Then, the simpler crewed capsule Fuji was proposed but not adopted. Pioneer projects—including the single-stage-to-orbit, reusable launch vehicle, horizontal-takeoff-and-landing ASSTS and the vertical takeoff and landing Kankoh-maru—were developed but have also not been adopted. In 2009, a more conservative JAXA crewed spacecraft project was supposed to be launched by 2025 as part of Japan's plan to send human missions to the Moon. Shinya Matsuura was doubtful about the Japanese human Moon project, suspecting the project was a euphemism for participation in the American Constellation program.[53] In 2019, JAXA planned to send a humanoid robot, such as ASIMO, to the Moon within the next decade, in the hopes of using both automated and remote-controlled machines to build their planned Moon base.[53][54] As of 2022, Japanese astronauts will land on the Moon via NASA's Artemis program.[55]

Simorgh launch vehicle

Iran put into orbit its first satellite Omid, using the Safir launch vehicle on 2 February 2009, becoming the ninth nation to achieve an orbital launch.[56] Three other satellites were inserted into orbit by the Safir before its retirement in 2019.[57] Subsequent development of launch vehicles has led to the Simorgh, which was designed and built as safir's successor and was launched for the first time on 19 April 2016.[58] The Zuljanah has also been developed as Iran's first solid fueled launch vehicle and was unveiled on 1 February 2021.[59] A dedicated Spaceport named Semnan Space Center was built in the early 2000s near the provincial capital of semnan province with two launch pads, a 45 metet tall servicing tower, integration, communication and testing facilities.[60]

A separate parallel military space program headed by the IRGC Aerospace force based out of Shahroud Space Center, focusing on solid fueled launch vehicles was unveiled on 22 April 2020 when Iran successfully launched its first military reconnaissance satellite, Noor-1, into orbit using a Qased launch vehicle.[61]

A human spaceflight project to design and manufacture crewed space capsules headed by the aerospace research institute of the ministry of science and technology also exists whose most significant achievement was the successful sub-orbital launching and retrieval of a monkey named "fargam" in 2013.[62] A mock prototype of the human space capsule was displayed in 2015.[63]

Shavit, the Israeli orbital launch system

On 19 September 1988, Israel became the eighth country in the world to build its own satellite and launcher. Israel launched its first satellite, Ofeq-1, using an Israeli-built Shavit three-stage launch vehicle.[64] The launch was the high point of a process that began in 1983 with the establishment of the Israel Space Agency under the aegis of the Ministry of Science. Space research by university-based scientists had begun in the 1960s, providing a ready-made pool of experts for Israel's foray into space. Since then, local universities, research institutes, and private industry, backed by the Israel Space Agency, have made progress in space technology. The agency's role is to support "private and academic space projects, coordinate their efforts, initiate and develop international relations and projects, head integrative projects involving different bodies, and create public awareness for the importance of space development."[65]

North Korea has many years of experience with rocket technology, which it has passed along to Pakistan and other countries. On 12 December 2012, North Korea placed its first satellite in orbit with the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2. On 12 March 2009, North Korea signed the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention,[66] after a previous declaration of making preparations for the launch of Kwangmyongsong-2. North Korea twice announced satellite launches: Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 on 31 August 1998 and Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 on 5 April 2009. Neither of these claims were confirmed by the rest of the world, but the United States and South Korea believe they were tests of military ballistic missiles. The North Korean space agency is the Korean Committee of Space Technology, which operates the Musudan-ri and Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center rocket launching sites, and has developed the Baekdusan-1 and Unha (Baekdusan-2) space launchers and Kwangmyŏngsŏng satellites. In 2009 North Korea announced several future space projects, including human space flights and the development of a crewed, partially reusable launch vehicle.[67] The successor to the Korean Committee of Space Technology, National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA), successfully launched an Unha-3 launch vehicle in February 2016, placing the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 satellite in orbit.

LAPAN is responsible for long-term civilian and military aerospace research for Indonesia, which in July 1976 became the first developing country to operate its own domestic satellite system.[68] In October 1985, Indonesian scientist, Pratiwi Sudarmono was selected to take part in the NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-61-H as a Payload Specialist. Taufik Akbar was her backup on the mission. However, after the 1986 Challenger disaster the deployment of commercial satellites—such as the Indonesian Palapa B-3, planned for the STS-61-H mission—was canceled; and so the mission never took place. The satellite was later launched with a Delta rocket.[69] For over two decades, Indonesia has managed satellites and domain-developed small scientific-technology satellites LAPAN and telecommunication satellites Palapa, which were built by Hughes (now Boeing Satellite Systems) and launched from the US on Delta rockets or from French Guiana using Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rockets. It has also developed sounding rockets and has been trying to develop small orbital space launchers. The LAPAN A1 in 2007 and LAPAN A2 satellites were launched by India in 2015.[70] Indonesia has undertaken programs to develop and use their own small space launch vehicle Pengorbitan (RPS-420).[71][72]

South Korea is a more recent player in the Asian space race.[73] In August 2006 South Korea launched its first military communications satellite, the Mugunghwa-5. The satellite was placed in geosynchronous orbit and collects surveillance information about North Korea.[74] The South Korean government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on space technology and was due to launch its first space launcher, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle, in 2008.[75] South Korea's government justifies the cost by pointing to the long-term commercial benefits, as well as enhanced national pride. South Korea has long seen North Korea's significantly longer missile range as a serious threat to its national security. With the nation's first astronaut launched into space, Lee So-yeon, South Korea gained confidence in entering the Asian space race. They have completed the construction of Naro Space Center. South Korea is now attempting to build satellites and rockets with local technology.[76]

Turkey's first Göktürk satellite was launched on December 18, 2012. The satellite is capable of taking images which have a resolution of over two meters per pixel Turkey is also developing an orbital launch system known as UFS.[77]

On 7 June 1962, with the launch of the Rehbar-I rocket, Pakistan became the first country in the Islamic world and South Asia, third in Asia, and tenth in the world to successfully launch an unmanned spacecraft. SUPARCO has launched several sounding rockets. Pakistan's first satellite, Badr-I, was launched from China in 1990. Badr-B was launched in 2001 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, using a Ukrainian Zenit-2 rocket. In 2011, Paksat-1R—which was contracted for, built, and launched by China—became Pakistan's first communication satellite.[78] Under its Space programme 2040, Pakistan aims to operate five geostationary and six low Earth orbit satellites.

In 2018, with the launch of the Bangabandhu-1 satellite, which was purchased abroad, Bangladesh began operating its first communication satellite. The Bangladeshi Space Agency SPARRSO intends to launch satellites after 2020. Bangladesh's government has stressed that the country seeks an "entirely peaceful and commercial" role in space.[79]

Since 2002, Malaysia has had an active space program that, since 2019, is overseen by the Malaysian Space Agency.

• First Asian country to collaborate on the International Space Station –  Japan
• First Asian country to launch over 100 satellites from a single rocket –  India[89][90]

Timeline of the heaviest satellite launch vehicle in Asia

First success	LEO	GTO / GEO	Notes
11 Feb 1970	L-4S (26 kg)		First launch was 1966 (failed 4 times).
24 Apr 1970	CZ-1 (0.3 t)		First launch failed in 1969.
26 Jul 1975	FB-1 (2.5 t)		Suborbital flight was performed in 1972. CZ-2A (LEO 2t) failed in 1974.
12 Aug 1986	H-I (LEO 3.2 t / GTO 1.1 t)		First stage was a license-built Delta rocket.
16 Jul 1990	CZ-2E (LEO 9.2 t / GTO 3.5 t)
3 Feb 1994	H-II (LEO 10.1 t / GTO 3.9 t)
20 Aug 1997	CZ-3B (LEO 11.2 t / GTO 5.2 t)
18 Dec 2006	H-IIA204 (LEO 15 t / GTO 5.8 t)
10 Sep 2009	H-IIB (LEO 19 t / GTO 8 t)
3 Nov 2016	H-IIB (LEO 19 t)	CZ-5 (GTO 14 t)[91]
5 May 2020	CZ-5 (LEO 25 t / GTO 14 t)

First successful independent launches (rocket/satellite)

Country	Year	Mission
Japan	1970	Lambda-4S/Ohsumi
China	1970	Long March 1/Dong Fang Hong I
India	1980	SLV/Rohini D1
Israel	1988	Shavit/Ofeq 1
Iran	2009	Safir-1/Omid
North Korea	2012	Unha-3/Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2
South Korea	2022	KSLV-2 (Nuri)/PVSAT

Solid fuel rockets

Country	Rocket	Burn time	Specific impulse (Vac.)	Thrust (Vac.)
India	S200 booster rocket stage[92]	130s	274.5s	5,150 kN (1,160,000 lbf)
Japan	SRB-A series solid fueled rocket boosters	100s	280s	2,260 kN (510,000 lbf)
Israel	Shavit's first stage	82s	280s	1,650 kN (370,000 lbf)
China	Kuaizhou series of launch vehicles
China	Long March 11 launch system		248s (SL.)	1,188 kN (267,000 lbf) (SL.)
Iran	Zuljanah First Stage	80s		725 kN (163,000 lbf) (SL)

Cryogenic and semi-cryogenic rocket engines

Country	Engine	Thrust (vac.)	Stage	Cycle	Active	Status
Japan	LE-5 cryogenic engine	LE-5 — 102.9 kN (23,100 lbf) ---------- LE-5A — 121.5 kN (27,300 lbf) ---------- LE-5B — 144.9 kN (32,600 lbf)	Upper stage	5 — Gas generator 5A and 5B — Expander	1986 — present	In service
	LE-7 cryogenic engine	LE-7 — 1,078 kN (242,000 lbf) ---------- LE-7A — 1,074 kN (241,000 lbf)	Booster	Staged combustion	1994 — present	In service
China	YF-73 cryogenic engine	44.15 kN (9,930 lbf)	Upper stage	Gas generator	1987–2000	Retired
	YF-75 cryogenic engine	78.45 kN (17,640 lbf)	Upper stage	Gas generator	1994 — present	In service
	YF-75D cryogenic engine	88.36 kN (19,860 lbf)	Upper stage	Expander	2016 — present	In service
	YF-77 cryogenic engine	700 kN (160,000 lbf)	Booster	Gas generator	2016 — present	In service
	YF-79 cryogenic engine	250 kN (56,000 lbf)	Upper stage	Expander	~2028	Under development
	YF-90 cryogenic engine	2,200 kN (490,000 lbf)	Upper stage	Staged combustion	~2028	Under development
	YF-100 semi-cryogenic engine	1,340 kN (300,000 lbf)	Booster	Staged combustion	2015 — present	In service
	YF-115 semi-cryogenic engine	180 kN (40,000 lbf)	Upper stage	Staged combustion	2015 — present	In service
	YF-130 semi-cryogenic engine	~5,000 kN (1,100,000 lbf) (SL.)	Booster	Staged combustion	~2028	Under development
India	CE-7.5 cryogenic engine	73.5 kN (16,500 lbf)	Upper stage	Staged combustion	2014 — present	In service
	CE-20 cryogenic engine	196.5 kN (44,200 lbf)	Upper stage	Gas-generator	2017 — present	In service
	SCE-200 semi-cryogenic engine	2,030 kN (460,000 lbf)	Booster	Staged combustion	After 2022	Under development

Capability of Launch Vehicle (in active)

Country	Highest payload capacity
	LEO			GTO
	Launch Vehicle	Payload capacity	Active since	Launch Vehicle	Payload capacity	Active since
China	CZ-5B	25,000 kg (55,000 lb)	2020	CZ-5	14,500 kg (32,000 lb)	2016
Japan	H-IIA	15,000 kg (33,000 lb)	2001	H-IIA	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)	2001
India	GSLV MkIII	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	2017	GSLV MkIII	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)	2017
Israel	Shavit	800 kg (1,800 lb)	1988	Not any yet
Iran	Simorgh	350 kg (770 lb)	2016	Not any yet
North Korea	Unha-3	200 kg (440 lb)	2009	Not any yet
South Korea	KSLV-2 (Nuri)	2,600 kg (5,700 lb)	2022	Not any yet

Biggest multi-satellite simultaneous launches (by number)

Country	Number of satellites	Year	Launch Vehicle	Flight
India	104	2017	PSLV-XL	C37
China	22	2022	Long March 8	Y2
Japan	8	2009	H-IIA	F15

First flight of space shuttles

Including shuttle-shaped hyper-sonic reentry vehicles reach to space.

Country	Spaceplane	First flight mission	Year	Program status
Japan	HOPE-X	HYFLEX	1996	Cancelled
China	Various	Shenlong	2007	Ongoing
India	RLV–TD	Hypersonic Flight Experiment	2016	Under development

Payloads in orbit by number

First five as of 1 February 2020[93]

Country	Active	In orbit	Decayed	Total
China	352	407	84	491
Japan	90	183	65	248
India	64	101	12	113
Israel	17	20	6	26
South Korea	15	22	5	27

Optical satellite imagery (by highest available resolution)

Country	Resolution	Satellite	Year launched
China	0.1 meter	Gaofen 11	2020
India	0.25 meter	Cartosat-3	2019
Japan	0.4 meter	IGS Optical 5V	2013
Israel	0.5 meter	Ofeq 9	2010
South Korea	0.55 meter	KOMPSAT-3A	2015
Iran	10 meters	Noor-2	2022

Radar satellite imagery (by resolution)

Country	Resolution	Satellite	Year launched
India	0.35 meter	RISAT-2BR1	2019
	0.5 meter x 0.3 meter	RISAT-2B	2019
Israel	0.5 meter	TecSAR	2008
China	0.3 meter	Yaogan 30	2018
Japan	0.5 meter	IGS R-5	2017
South Korea	1 meter	KOMPSAT-5	2013

Communications satellite technology

Country	Satellite	Transponders	Mass	Power	Year launched
China	Shijian-20	120+	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)	28 kW	2019
Japan	ST-2	51	5,090 kg (11,220 lb)		2011
India	GSAT-16	48	3,100 kg (6,800 lb)	5.6 kW	2014
	GSAT-11	40	5,854 kg (12,906 lb)	13.6 kW	2018

Solar Sail spacecraft

Country	Satellite	Type	Year launched
Japan	IKAROS	Extraterrestrial exploration	2010

Spacecraft powered by indigenous plasma thrusters

Country	Spacecraft (engine)	Power	Thrust	Specific impulse	Year
Japan	ETS-IV (Unnamed teflon pulsed plasma thruster)	20 W		300s	1981
	Space Flyer Unit (EPEX, magnetoplasmadynamic thruster)	430 W	12.9 mN	600s	1995
China	Dongfeng 5 ballistic rocket (MDT-2A, teflon pulsed plasma thruster)	5 W		280s	1981

Spacecraft powered by indigenous ion thrusters

Country	Spacecraft	Power	Thrust	Specific impulse	Year launched
Japan	Hayabusa (μ-10, microwave ion thrusters)	350 W	8 mN	3200s	2003
China	Shijian 9A (LIPS-200, ring-cusp magnetic field ion thruster)	1 kW	40 mN	3000s	2012
India	GSAT-20 (Full)				2022 (Planned)

Spacecraft powered by indigenous Hall thrusters

Country	Spacecraft	Power	Thrust	Specific impulse	Year launched
South Korea	DubaiSat-2	0.3 kW	7 mN	1000s	2013
China	Shijian 17 (HEP-100MF, magnetic focusing hall thruster)	1.4 kW		1850s	2016
	Shijian 17 (LHT-100)	1.536 kW	83 mN	1600s
	Tiangong space station (HET-80)	1.35 kW	80 mN	1600s	2021

First indigenous human spaceflights

Country	Program		First successful human spaceflight		Status
	Name	Period	Year	Spacecraft
China	Project 714	1968–1972	—	Shuguang-1	Cancelled
	Project 873	1978–1980	—	Piloted FSW satellite	Cancelled
	Project 921/China Manned Space	1992–present	2003	Shenzhou 5	Ongoing
India	Indian Human Spaceflight Programme	2007–present	2024 (Planned)	Gaganyaan	Ongoing

Independent human spaceflights

Country	Total flights	Total persons	Total person flights
China[94]	9	14	23

First independent extravehicular activity

Country	Spacecraft involved	Year
China	Shenzhou 7	2008

First independent Space rendezvous

Country	Uncrewed rendezvous		crewed rendezvous
	Spacecraft involved	Year	Spacecraft involved	Year
Japan	ETS-VII	1997
China	Shenzhou 8 and Tiangong 1	2011	Shenzhou 9 and Tiangong 1	2012

First space habitation module

Country	Spacecraft	Year launched
Japan	Kibo	2008
China	Tiangong 1	2011
India[95][96][97][98]	Indian Space Station	~2030 (Proposed)

First Space laboratory

Country	Spacecraft	Year
Japan	Kibo	2009
China	Tiangong 2	2016
India	Indian Space Station	~2030(Proposed)

Resupply spacecraft

Country	Spacecraft	Launch payload	Year launched
Japan	HTV	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)	2009
China	Tianzhou	6,500 kg (14,300 lb)	2017

First permanent space station and space presence

Country	Spacecraft	Year
China	Tiangong space station	2021

First orbiters to the Moon

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	Japan	Hiten/Hagoromo	1990
2	China	Chang'e 1	2007
3	India	Chandrayaan-1	2008
TBD	South Korea	Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter	2022 (Planned)

First intentional Moon landings

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Landing type
1	Japan	Hiten	1993	Controlled impact
2	India	Moon Impact Probe	2008	Controlled impact
3	China	Chang'e 1	2009	Controlled impact

First Lunar soft landings/Lunar rovers

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	China	Chang'e 3/Yutu	2013
TBD	Israel	Beresheet	2019 (Failed)
TBD	India	Chandrayaan-2/Pragyan	2019 (Failed)
		Chandrayaan-3	2023 (Planned)
TBD	United Arab Emirates	Emirates Lunar Mission	2023 (Planned)
TBD	India  Japan	Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	2024 (Planned)

First Lunar sample-return missions

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	China	Chang'e 5	2020

First probes to Mercury

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Type
TBD	Japan	Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter	2018 (en route)	Orbiter

First probes to Venus

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Type
1	Japan	Akatsuki	2015	Orbiter
TBD	India	Shukrayaan-1	2024 or 2026 (Planned)	Orbiter with aerobots

First orbiters to Mars

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	India	Mars Orbiter Mission	2014[99]
2	United Arab Emirates	Hope Mars Mission	2021
3	China	Yinghuo-1	2011 (Failed)[100]
		Tianwen-1	2021
TBD	Japan	Nozomi	1998 (Failed)

First Mars soft landings

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year
1	China	Tianwen-1/Zhurong	2021

First Asteroid explorations

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Type
1	Japan	Hayabusa	2003	Sample return
2	China	Chang'e 2	2012	Flyby

Other comparable technologies

Nation	Multi-satellite simultaneous launches	Launch of foreign satellite	Geostationary launches	Atmos- pheric reentry	Rendezvous dockings in orbit	Satellite navigation system	Data relay satellites	Martian missions	Solar Space Missions	Space observatories
China	1981 (FB-1)[101] 3 Sats	1990 CZ-2E science satellite	1984 Dong Fang Hong 02 (by CZ-3)	1975 FSW-0	2011 Tiangong 1	2000 Beidou	2008 Tianlian I	2021 Tianwen-1/Zhurong (rover) (orbiter, lander, and rover)	2021 CHASE	2015 Dark Matter Particle Explorer
India	1999 (PSLV-CA C2) 3 Sats	1999 PSLV-C2 Kitsat-3 DLR-Tubsat	2001 Kalpana-1 (by PSLV)	2007 SRE-1	SPADEX (planned)	2013 IRNSS[102]	IDRSS (Planned)	2013 Mangalyaan[99] (orbiter)	2021 (planned) Aditya-L1	2015 Astrosat
Japan	1986 (H-I H15F)[103] 3 Sats	2002 H-IIA FedSat	1977 ETS-II[104] (by N-I)	1994 OREX	1997 ETS-VII[105]	2010 QZSS[106]	2002 Kodama	1998 Nozomi (orbiter) (Failure)	1975 Taiyo[107]	1979 Hakucho

? : Date is assumed
Only projects with under-development or above status have been listed

• 
  Long March 3B lifting off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
• 
  Launch of GSLV Mk III D2 from SLP SDSC carrying GSAT-29.
• 
  H-IIB F2 carrying HTV-2.

The list documents launch systems developed or used by national space agencies only and not private spaceflight companies.

Legend:

  Under development

  Operational

  Retired/Cancelled

Launch system		Country of origin	Class and type	Payload capacity			Maiden flight	Manufacturer	Status	Ref
				LEO (Orbit)	GTO	Other
Al-Abid		Iraq	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb) to 300 kg (660 lb) (200 km (120 mi) to 500 km (310 mi)	—		1989	Space Research Center, Baghdad	Abandoned	[108]
Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	150 kg (330 lb) (400 km (250 mi))	—		1987	ISRO	Retired	[109]
Epsilon		Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,500 kg (3,300 lb) (250 km (160 mi)x500 km (310 mi)) 700 kg (1,500 lb) (500 km (310 mi))		590 kg (1,300 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO)	2013	JAXA/IHI	In service	[110]
Feng Bao 1		China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,500 kg (5,500 lb)			1972	Shanghai Bureau No.2	Retired	[111]
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle	GSLV Mk I	India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	2,150 kg (4,740 lb)		2001	ISRO	Retired	[112]
	GSLV Mk II			5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	2,700 kg (6,000 lb)		2010	ISRO	In service
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III		India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)		2014 (Suborbital) 2017 (Orbital)	ISRO	In service	[113]
GX		Japan  United States	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,600 kg (7,900 lb)		1,814 kg (3,999 lb) to 800 km (500 mi) SSO	—	JAXA/ULA/IHI	Cancelled	[114]
H-I		Japan  United States	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,200 kg (7,100 lb)	1,100 kg (2,400 lb)		1986	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/McDonnell Douglas	Retired	[115]
H-II	H-II	Japan	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,060 kg (22,180 lb)	3,930 kg (8,660 lb)		1994	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Retired	[116]
	H-IIA			10,000 kg (22,000 lb) to 15,000 kg (33,000 lb)	4,100 kg (9,000 lb) to 6,000 kg (13,000 lb)		2001	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/ATK	In service	[117]
	H-IIB			16,500 kg (36,400 lb)	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)		2009	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Retired	[118]
H3		Japan	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle		>8,000 kg (18,000 lb)	>4,000 kg (8,800 lb) to SSO (Minimum configuration)	2020 (Planned)	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Under development	[119]
J-I		Japan	Experimental expendable launch vehicle	–	–	1,054 kg (2,324 lb) along 1,300 km (810 mi) downrange.	1996	NASDA/ISAS	Retired	[120]
Jielong-1		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		—	150 kg (330 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2019	CALT	In service	[121]
Kaituozhe	Kaituozhe-1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb)	Not applicable		2002	CASIC	Retired	[122]
	Kaituozhe-2		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	800 kg (1,800 lb)			2017		In service	[123]
	Kaituozhe-2A		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 km (1,200 mi)			Unconfirmed		Unknown
Kuaizhou	Kuaizhou 1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		—	430 kg (950 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO)	2013	CASIC	In service	[124][125]
	Kuaizhou-1A		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)	—	250 kg (550 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO) 200 kg (440 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2017		In service
	Kuaizhou-11		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		1,000 kg (2,200 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2019–20 (Planned)		Under development	[126]
	Kuaizhou-21		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)			2025 (Projected)		Under development	[124][127]
	Kuaizhou-31		Super heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	70,000 kg (150,000 lb)			TBD		Under development
Lambda (rocket family)		Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	26 kg (57 lb)			1970	ISAS/Nissan	Retired	[128]
Long 1 March rocket family	Long March 1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)			1970	MAI/CASC/CAST	Retired	[129]
	Long March 1D		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	930 kg (2,050 lb)			1995	CALT	Retired	[130]
Long March 2	Long March 2A	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)			1974	CALT	Retired	[131]
	Long March 2C		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,850 kg (8,490 lb)	1,250 kg (2,760 lb)	1,900 kg (4,200 lb) to SSO	1982		In service
	Long March 2D		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)		1,300 kg (2,900 lb) to SSO	1992	SAST	In service
	Long March 2E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	9,500 kg (20,900 lb)	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)		1990	CALT	Retired
	Long March 2F		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	8,400 kg (18,500 lb)			1999		In service
Long March 3	Long March 3	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		1984	CALT	Retired	[132]
	Long March 3A		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	8,500 kg (18,700 lb)	2,600 kg (5,700 lb)	1,600 kg (3,500 lb) to HCO	1993		In service
	Long March 3B, 3B/E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	11,500 kg (25,400 lb)	5,500 kg (12,100 lb)	3,300 kg (7,300 lb) to HCO 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) to GEO	1996		In service
	Long March 3C, 3C/E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle		3,900 kg (8,600 lb)	2,400 kg (5,300 lb) to HCO	2008		In service
Long March 4	Long March 4A	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)		1,500 kg (3,300 lb) to Sun-synchronous orbit	1988	SAST	Retired	[133]
	Long March 4B		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,200 kg (9,300 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)	2,800 kg (6,200 lb) to SSO	1999		In service
	Long March 4C		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,200 kg (9,300 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)	2,800 kg (6,200 lb) to SSO	2006		In service
Long March 5	Long March 5	China	Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle		14,000 kg (31,000 lb)	8,200 kg (18,100 lb) to TLI	2016	CALT	In service	[134]
	Long March 5B		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	25,000 kg (55,000 lb) (200 km (120 mi) x 400 km (250 mi))			2020		In service
Long March 6		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		—	1,080 kg (2,380 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2015	SAST	In service	[135]
Long March 6A		China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle		—	4,000 kg (8,800 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2022	SAST	In service	[135]
Long March 7	Long March 7	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	13,500 kg (29,800 lb) (200 km (120 mi) x 400 km (250 mi))	5,500 kg (12,100 lb)		2016	CALT	In service	[136]
	Long March 7A		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle		7,000 kg (15,000 lb)		2020		In service
Long March 8		China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle			5,000 kg (11,000 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) SSO	2020	CALT	In service	[137]
Long March 9[138]		China	Super heavy lift	140,000[139]	66,000[140]	50,000 to TLI[139] 44,000 to TMI[141]	2028[142]–2030[141]	CALT	In development
Long March 11		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	700 kg (1,500 lb)		350 kg (770 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) SSO	2015	CALT	In service	[143]
Mu (rocket family)	Mu-3C	Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	195 kg (430 lb)			1974	ISAS/Nissan/IHI	Retired	[144]
	Mu-3H		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)			1977		Retired
	Mu-3S		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)			1980		Retired
	Mu-3SII		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	770 kg (1,700 lb)			1985		Retired
	Mu-4S		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	180 kg (400 lb)			1971		Retired
	M-V		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,850 kg (4,080 lb)		1,300 kg (2,900 lb) to Polar LEO	1997		Retired
N (rocket family)	N-I	United States  Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	1,200 kg (2,600 lb)	360 kg (790 lb)		1975	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/McDonnell Douglas	Retired	[145]
	N-II		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)	730 kg (1,610 lb)		1981		Retired	[146]
Naro		South Korea  Russia	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb)			2013	Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)/Khrunichev	Retired	[147]
Nuri		South Korea	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,600 kg (5,700 lb) (300 km (190 mi))		1,500 kg (3,300 lb) to SSO	2021	Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)	In service	[148]
Paektusan-1		North Korea	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	700 kg (1,500 lb)			1998	KCST	Retired	[149]
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle	PSLV-G	India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,200 kg (7,100 lb)	1,050 kg (2,310 lb)	1,600 kg (3,500 lb) to SSO	1993	ISRO	Retired	[150]
	PSLV-CA		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,100 kg (4,600 lb)		1,100 kg (2,400 lb) to SSO	2007		In service
	PSLV-XL		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,800 kg (8,400 lb)	1,300 kg (2,900 lb)	1,750 kg (3,860 lb) to SSO 1,350 kg (2,980 lb) to TMI	2008		In service
	PSLV-DL		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,100 kg (4,600 lb)		1,100 kg (2,400 lb) to SSO	2019		In service
	PSLV-QL		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,800 kg (8,400 lb)	1,300 kg (2,900 lb)	1,750 kg (3,860 lb) to SSO 1,350 kg (2,980 lb) to TMI	2019		In service
	PSLV-3S		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	500 kg (1,100 lb) (550 km (340 mi)			—		Concept only
Qased		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb)			2020	IRGCASF	In service	[151]
Reusable Launch Vehicle		India	TSTO Reusable launch system				2016 (Flight experiment)	ISRO	Under development	[152]
RPS-420	Pengorbitan-1	Indonesia	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	25 kg (55 lb)	—		TBD	LAPAN	Proposed	[153]
	Pengorbitan-2		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb)	—		TBD		Proposed
S-Series (rocket family)	SS-520	Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb) (>300 km (190 mi)	—		1980	IHI Corporation	In service	[154]
Safir		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	65 kg (143 lb)	—		2008	ISA	Retired	[155][57]
Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	40 kg (88 lb) (400 km (250 mi)	—		1979	ISRO	Retired	[156]
Shavit		Israel	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	800 kg (1,800 lb)	—		1988	Israel Aerospace Industries	In service	[157]
Simorgh		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	350 kg (770 lb)	—		2016 (Sub-orbital)	ISA	In service	[158]
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	500 kg (1,100 lb) (500 km (310 mi))	—	300 kg (660 lb) to SSO	2022	ISRO	In service	[159]
TSLV		Republic of China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb) (700 km (430 mi))	—		TBD	NSPO	Under development	[160][161]
Unha		North Korea	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	200 kg (440 lb) (465 km (289 mi) x 502 km (312 mi))	—		2009	KCST	In service	[162]
Unified Modular Launch Vehicle	ULV with 6 x S-13 boosters	India	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		before 2028	ISRO	Under development	[163][164][165]
	ULV with 2 x S-60 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	3,000 kg (6,600 lb)		before 2028		Under development
	ULV with 2 x S-139 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	12,000 kg (26,000 lb)	4,500 kg (9,900 lb)		before 2028		Under development
	ULV with 2 x S-200 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	15,000 kg (33,000 lb)	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)		before Q2 2028		Under development
	HLV variant		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)		before 2030		Under development
Uydu Fırlatma Sistemi		Turkey	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	Microsatellites (700 km (430 mi))	—		TBD	ROKETSAN	Under development	[166]
Yun Feng SLV		Republic of China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	200 kg (440 lb) (500 km (310 mi)	—		TBD	NCSIST	Under development	[161]
Zuljanah		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	220 kg (490 lb)			2021	ISA	Under development	[167]

Shenzhou, China's crewed spacecraft.

Wentian, launched in July 2022, is one of the modules of Tiangong Space Station.

China was the first Asian country and third nation in the world, after the USSR and USA, to send humans into space. During the Space Race between the two superpowers, which culminated with Apollo 11 landing humans on the Moon, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai decided on 14 July 1967 that China should not be left behind, and initiated their own crewed space program: the top-secret Project 714, which aimed to put two people into space by 1973 with the Shuguang spacecraft. Nineteen PLAAF pilots were selected for this goal in March 1971. The Shuguang-1 spacecraft, to be launched with the CZ-2A rocket, was designed to carry a crew of two. The program was officially cancelled on 13 May 1972 for economic reasons.

A second, short-lived crewed program was based on the successful implementation of landing technology by FSW satellites. It was announced a few times in 1978 with the publishing of some details, including photos, but then was abruptly canceled in 1980. It has been argued that the second crewed program was created solely for propaganda purposes, and was never intended to produce results.[190]

In 1992, under China Manned Space Program (CMS), also known as "Project 921", authorization and funding was given for the first phase of a third, successful attempt at crewed spaceflight. To achieve independent human spaceflight capability, China developed Shenzhou spacecraft and Long March 2F rocket dedicated for human spaceflight in the next few years, along with critical infrastructures like new launch site and flight control center being built. The first uncrewed spacecraft, Shenzhou 1, was launched on 20 November 1999 and recovered the next day, marking the first step of the realization of China's human spaceflight capability. Three more uncrewed missions were conducted in the next few years in order to verify the key technologies. On 15 October 2003 Shenzhou 5, China's first crewed spaceflight mission, put Yang Liwei in orbit for 21 hours and returned safely back to Inner Mongolia, making China the third nation to launch a human into orbit independently.[191]

The goal of the second phase of CMS was to make technology breakthroughs in extravehicular activities (EVA, or spacewalk) as well as space rendezvous and docking to support short-term human activities in space.[192] On 25 September 2008 during the flight of Shenzhou 7, Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming completed China's first EVA.[193] In 2011, China launched the Tiangong 1 target spacecraft and Shenzhou 8 uncrewed spacecraft. The two spacecrafts completed China's first automatic rendezvous and docking on 3 November 2011.[194] About 9 months later, Tiangong 1 completed the first manual rendezvous and docking with Shenzhou 9, which carried China's first female astronaut Liu Yang.[195]

In September 2016, Tiangong 2 was launched into the orbit. It was a space laboratory with more advanced functions and equipment than Tiangong 1. A month later, Shenzhou 11 was launched and docked with Tiangong 2. Two astronauts entered Tiangong 2 and stationed for about 30 days and verified the viability of astronauts' medium-term stay in space.[196] In April 2017, China's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou 1 docked with Tiangong 2 and completed multiple in-orbit propellant refueling tests, which marked the successful completion of the second phase of CMS.[196]

The third phase of CMS began in 2020. The goal of this phase is to build China's own space station, Tiangong.[197] The first module of Tiangong, the Tianhe core module, was launched into orbit by China's most powerful rocket Long March 5B on 29 April 2021.[198] It was later visited by multiple cargo and crewed spacecrafts and demonstrated China's capability of sustaining Chinese astronauts' long-term stay in space.

According to CMS announcement, all missions of Tiangong Space Station are scheduled to be carried out by the end of 2022.[199] Once the construction is completed, Tiangong will enter the application and development phase, which is poised to last for no less than 10 years.[199]

China has tested the next-generation crewed spacecraft, which is supposed to replace Shenzhou by introducing reusability and larger capacity.[200] Another type of reusable experimental spacecraft was launched and returned successfully in September 2020 with little details disclosed.[201]

In addition to low Earth orbit, China is aiming for a crewed moon landing mission in the 2030s. The concepts of several critical components, like rocket and spacecraft, have been displayed yet no formal announcement has been made by Chinese authority yet.[202]

Just a few days after China said that it would put a human into orbit in the second half of 2003, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly urged his country's scientists to work toward sending a man to the Moon.[203]

India's Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP) was officially started in 2007[204][205] by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the aim of developing the technology needed to launch crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit.[206] To demonstrate the ability of recovering crewed orbiters, SRE-1 was conducted in the same year.[207] The GSLV Mk III launch system—with the ability to put 10 tonnes in LEO, sufficient to carry crewed spacecraft—was developed, and work on the ISRO Orbital Vehicle initiated. In December 2014, a Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment was conducted during the sub-orbital flight of GSLV Mk III.[208]

The Mysore-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) has developed dried and packaged food for astronauts. The food laboratory has developed around 70 varieties of dehydrated and processed food items that have undergone strict procedures to zero-in on containing the necessary micro bacterial and macro bacterial nutrients. Special care has to be taken in the packaging. The food item should be of limited weight but at the same time should be high in nutrition.[209]

In July 2018, a pad abort test was conducted to validate a crew escape system.[210] Parachute tests were scheduled before the end of 2019 and multiple in-flight abort tests were planned starting mid-2020.[163]

On 15 August (Indian independence day) 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that before India's 75th independence day in 2022, the country would have sent humans into space. The crewed module mission was renamed Gaganyaan.[211] India is expected to send 3 humans into LEO on Gaganyaan spacecraft for 3–4 days onboard a GSLV Mk III launch vehicle.[212]

Before the prime minister's August 2018 announcement, human spaceflight was not a priority for ISRO, although most of the required capability for it had been realised;[213] afterward it received the highest priority.[214] The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) was set up in January 2019 to coordinate implementation of the mission.[215] A third launch pad is under construction at Satish Dhawan Space Centre with the ability to support heavy lift launchers and human spaceflight while the second one is being augmented with similar systems to realise the mission on time. India's crewed orbital vehicle will have two uncrewed flights–at the end of 2020 and mid-2021—before actually taking humans onboard at the end of 2021. Indian astronauts will be dubbed "Vyomanauts"[216] or "Gaganauts". Selected by the Indian Institute of Aerospace Medicine, a team of seven test pilots from the Indian Air Force are undergoing training in Russia per the memorandum of understanding with Glavkosmos, out of which 4 will be ready for India's first human space mission.[163]

India plans to deploy a 20 tonne space station as a follow-up programme to the Gaganyaan mission. On 13 June 2019, ISRO Chief K. Sivan announced the plan, saying that India's space station will be deployed 5–7 years after completion of the Gaganyaan project. He also said that India will not join the International Space Station program. India's space station would be capable of harbouring a crew for 15–20 days at a time. It is expected to be placed in a low Earth orbit of 400 km altitude and be capable of harbouring three humans. Final approval is expected to be given to the program by the Indian government only after the completion of the Gaganyaan mission.[217][218][219]

ISRO is planning to conduct SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) in 2020 to develop techniques related to orbital rendezvous, docking, formation flying, and remote robotic arm operations, for application to human spaceflight, in-space satellite servicing, and other proximity operations that will be critical for space station operations.[220]

The agency intends to conduct a crewed lunar landing, as well, in future.[221][222]

Since the late 1980s National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has developed the HOPE-X small crewed winged spaceplane that would be launched by an H-IIA rocket. Despite having successfully flown sub-scale test prototypes, the project was cancelled in 2003 in favor of participation in the International Space Station with the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module and H-II Transfer Vehicle cargo spacecraft.

As an alternative to HOPE-X, NASDA in 2001 proposed the Fuji crewed capsuled spacecraft for independent or ISS shuttle flights; but the project was not adopted. Since 2008, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has developed the H-II Transfer Vehicle cargo spacecraft–based crewed spacecraft.

In 1993–1997, the Japanese Rocket Society, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries proposed the Kankoh-maru vertical-takeoff-and-landing single-stage crewed cargo reusable launch system. In 2005, this system was proposed for space tourism.

Iran expressed for the first time its intention to send a human into space during the summit of Soviet and Iranian Presidents in 1990. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reached an agreement in principle with President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to make joint Soviet–Iranian crewed flights to the Mir space station; but an agreement was never finalized, due to the subsequent dissolution of USSR.

On 21 November 2005, the Iranian News Agency claimed that Iran has a human space program along with plans for the development of a spacecraft and a space laboratory. [223] On 20 August 2008, the head of the Iran Aerospace Industries Organization (IAIO), Reza Taghipour, revealed that Iran intends to launch a human mission into space within a decade. This goal was described as the country's top priority for the next 10 years, in order to make Iran the leading space power of the region by 2021.[224][225]

In August 2010, President Ahmadinejad announced that Iran's first astronaut should be sent into space onboard an Iranian spacecraft by no later than 2019.[226] A sub-orbital spaceflight was conducted in 2016.[227]

On 17 February 2015, Iran unveiled a mock prototype of an Iranian crewed spacecraft that would be capable of taking one astronaut into space.[228] According to Iran's space administrator, this program was indefinitely put on hold in 2017.[229]

According to unofficial Chinese internet sources, an Iranian participation in the future Chinese space station program has been under discussion.[230] Currently, Iran doesn't have a medium-lift rocket similar to the Long March 2F, GSLV Mk III, or H-IIA, presently making Iran's sending a human into space unlikely.[231]

According to a 5 December 1989 press release from the Iraqi News Agency, about the first (and last) test of the Tammouz space launcher, Iraq intended to develop crewed space facilities by the end of the 20th century. These plans were put to an end by the Gulf War of 1991 and the hard economic times that followed.

Queqiao relay satellite launched to the Moon.

Yutu-2 was the first rover on the far side of the Moon.

Return capsule carrying lunar sample back to CAST after successful completion of Chang'e 5 mission.

The Moon is thought to be rich in Helium-3, which could one day be used in nuclear fusion power plants, to meet future energy demands in Asia. All three main Asian space powers plan to send people to the Moon in the distant future and have already sent lunar probes.

Asian lunar exploration probes
Mission name	Type	Year	Vehicle	Outcome
Hiten (MUSES-A)	Flyby/Orbiter	1990	Mu-3S-II	Success
Hagoromo	Orbiter			Failure
Lunar-A	Orbiter	2004 (intended) Never launched	M5	Cancelled and integrated into Russia's Luna-Glob.
SELENE (VRAD)	Orbiter	2007	H-IIA 202	Success
Chang'e 1	Orbiter	2007	Long March 3A	Success
Chandrayaan-1	Orbiter	2008	PSLV-XL	Success
Chang'e 2	Orbiter	2010	Long March 3C	Success
Chang'e 3	Lander Rover	2013	Long March 3B	Success
Chang'e 5-T1	Flyby	2014	Long March 3C	Success
Queqiao	Flyby (L2 Orbiter)	2018	Long March 4C	Success
Chang'e 4	Lander Rover	2019	Long March 3B	Success
Chandrayaan-2	Orbiter Lander Rover	2019	GSLV MkIII	Partial success
Chang'e 5	Sample return	2020	Long March 5	Success
Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter	Orbiter	August 2022	Falcon 9	En route
SLIM	Lander	2023	H-IIA 202	Planned
Chandrayaan-3	Lander Rover	2023	GSLV MkIII	Planned
Chang'e 6	Sample return	2024	Long March 5	Planned
DESTINY+	Flyby	2024	Epsilon	Planned
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	Orbiter Lander Rover	2024	H3	Proposed
Chang'e 7	Orbiter Lander Rover Hopper	2026	Long March 5	Planned
Chang'e 8	TBD	before 2030	TBD	Proposed
North Korean mission to Moon	TBD	2026	Unha-20	Proposed

Japan was the first Asian country to launch a lunar probe. The Hiten (Japanese: "flying angel") spacecraft (known before the launch as MUSES-A), built by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of Japan, was launched on 24 January 1990. In many ways, the mission did not go as was planned. Kaguya, the second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft, was launched on 14 September 2007.

China launched its first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, on 24 October 2007; the probe successfully entered lunar orbit on 5 November 2007.

India launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, on 22 October 2008; the probe successfully entered its final lunar orbit on 2 November 2008. The mission was considered a major success, and the probe detected water on the lunar surface.

Chang'e 4 landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019.

The first confirmed Moon landing from Asia was Hiten's mission in 1993. Before an intentional hard landing at the end of the mission, some pictures of the lunar surface were taken before impact.[232] Hiten was not designed as a Moon lander and had few scientific instruments for lunar exploration. The next Japanese Moon-landing program was the LUNAR-A, in development since 1992. Although the LUNAR-A orbiter was cancelled, its penetrators were integrated into the Russian Luna-Glob program, which was scheduled to launch in 2011. The penetrators are "relatively" hard landers,[233] but they are not expected to be destroyed on impact.

The next Asian probe to land on the Moon was the Indian Moon Impact Probe (MIP), which was released from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in 2008. MIP was a hard lander and was designed to displace the ground under it for analysis. MIP was designed to be destroyed at impact, but its instruments performed lunar observations to within 25 minutes before impact. The lessons learned from this landing were to be applied to future soft landings on spacecraft, such as Chandrayaan-2, which crashed, following successful orbital insertion, and was only a limited success. After the accomplishment of its first human mission, India has proposed space stations and manned missions to the Moon.[221][234]

The Chinese Chang'e-1 spacecraft also achieved a hard landing at the end of its mission in 2009, when China became the sixth country to reach the lunar surface. One purpose of the lander was to pre-test for future soft landings. A Chinese lunar soft landing was achieved with the Chang'e-3 mission, making it the first Asian country to do so. With the Chang'e 4, China became the first country ever to land on the far side of the Moon. In 2020, China successfully completed Chang'e 5, a lunar sample return mission. China also aims to undertake a human Moon landing by the late 2020s.[235]

Tianwen-1 lander of China on the surface of Mars.

Japanese interplanetary probes have been mostly limited to Small Solar System bodies, such as comets and asteroids. Japan was the world's first country to launch a spacecraft to the asteroids. JAXA's Nozomi probe was launched in 1998, but contact with the probe was lost due to electrical failures before visiting the planet Mars. The second Japanese probe, Akatsuki, was launched in 2010, bound for the planet Venus. Akatsuki entered orbit around Venus on 7 December 2015. Together with the European Space Agency, JAXA has launched Mio spacecraft for mapping the magnetic field of Mercury. The spacecraft will also conduct a flyby of Venus.

The Chinese human Mars exploration program is planned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences for around 2050.[236] After the failed attempt to launch Yinghuo-1, China successfully launched Tianwen-1 Mars mission. Tianwen-1 was inserted into Mars orbit on 10 February 2021, followed by a successful landing and deployment of the Zhurong rover on 14 May 2021, making China the second country in the world and the first country in Asia which successfully soft-landed a fully operational spacecraft on Mars surface.[237] China has also been planning to conduct Mars sample return, send an orbiter to Jupiter, as well as a probe to flyby Uranus.[238]

India successfully launched its Mars Orbiter Mission on 5 November 2013. It reached Mars in September 2014. India has become the only country to successfully insert a satellite into Martian orbit on its maiden attempt; and, as such, it also became the first Asian country to achieve this feat. India is planning another mission to Mars in the 2020s.[239] India was scheduled to launch Aditya-L1 near the Sun to study Solar corona[240] and is developing the Shukrayaan-1 spacecraft to be sent to Venus.[241] India is also studying exploration missions to asteroids, Jupiter, to beyond the Solar System like the American Voyager 1 and to exo-planets.[242]

Asian interplanetary exploration probes
Mission name	Destination	Type	Year	Vehicle	Outcome
Nozomi	Mars	Orbiter	2003	M-V	Failure
Hayabusa	Asteroid: 25143 Itokawa	Sample return	2005-7	M-V	Success
Akatsuki (PLANET-C)	Venus	Orbiter	2010	H-IIA 202	Failure (Failed orbit insertion)
			2015		Success
IKAROS	Venus	Flyby	2010		Success
Shin'en	Venus	Flyby	2010		Failure
Yinghuo-1	Mars	Orbiter	2011	Zenit-2M	Failure
Chang'e 2	Asteroid: 4179 Toutatis	Flyby	2012	Long March 3C	Success
Mars Orbiter Mission	Mars	Orbiter	2013–14	PSLV-XL	Success
Hayabusa2	Asteroid: 162173 Ryugu	Sample return	2014–20	H-IIA 202	Success
PROCYON	Asteroid: 2000 DP107	Flyby	2016	H-IIA 202	Failure
Mio	Mercury	Orbiter	2018–24	Ariane 5 ECA	en route
Hope Mars Mission	Mars	Orbiter	2020–21	H-IIA 202	Success
Tianwen-1	Mars	Orbiter/Lander/Rover	2020–21	Long March 5	Success
Aditya-L1	Sun	Orbiter	2022	PSLV-XL	Planned
Shukrayaan-1	Venus	Orbiter and aerobots	2023	GSLV MkIII	Planned
MMX	Mars	Orbiter	2024–2025	H3-24L	Planned
	Phobos	Sample return			Planned
Tianwen-2	Asteroid: 469219 Kamoʻoalewa	Sample Return	2024–32	Long March 3B/Long March 7A	Planned
	Comet: 311P/PANSTARRS	Orbiter			Planned
DESTINY+	Asteroid: 3200 Phaethon	Flyby	2024–28	Epsilon	Planned
Mars Orbiter Mission 2	Mars	Orbiter Lander Rover	2024	GSLV MkII or GSLV MkIII	Planned
Tianwen-3	Mars	Sample return	2028–31	Long March 5	Planned
Tianwen-4	Venus	Flyby	2029–30	Long March 5	Planned
	Jupiter	Orbiter	2029-35		Planned
	Callisto	Orbiter	2029-38		Planned
	Uranus	Flyby	2029-46		Planned