This is a list of the projected landing zones on extraterrestrial bodies. The size of the ellipse or oval graphically represents statistical degrees of uncertainty, i.e. the confidence level of the landing point, with the center of the ellipse being calculated as the most likely given the plethora of variables. Their accuracy has improved from the early attempts in the 1960s; active research continues in the 21st century.

Ellipse table

MissionCountry/AgencyDestinationDate of Impact/LandingAxesNotesSurveyor 1 NASAMoon196650 kmLanding error ~18.96 kmSurveyor 3 NASAMoon196715.1 x 10.6 kmInitial landing ellipse was 30 km, was corrected in-flight after midcourse correction. Landing error ~2.76 kmApollo 11 NASAMoon196918.5 x 4.8 kmFirst crewed landing. Landing error ~6.6 kmApollo 12 NASAMoon1969~1 km, or 13.3 x 4.8 km Second crewed landing. Landing error ~160 m Landed in ~200 m from Surveyor 3, its target. Landing was very precise and not intended to be closer.Apollo 14 NASAMoon1971~1 kmApollo 15 NASAMoon1971~1 kmApollo 16 NASAMoon1972~1 kmApollo 17 NASAMoon1972~1 km, or 15 x 5 kmLast crewed landing. Landing error ~400 mViking NASA Mars 1976 280 x 100 km Retrorocketn/aShoemaker-Levy 9 (comet)Jupiter1994-07-16n/aAs per IAUC in 1993 May 22; 0.0003 AU (45,000 km) from the center of Jupiter, i.e. within the planet's radius of 0.0005 AU (69,911 km) on 1994 July 25.4. (sic) Actual train of impacts as finally projected occurred beyond Jupiter's limb. Included for purposes of comparison. Mars Pathfinder NASA Mars 1997 200 x 70 km or 200 x 100 km AirbagsMars Polar Lander NASA Mars 1999 200 x 20 km Communications failed before landing attempt.Mars Exploration Rovers NASA Mars 2003 150 x 20 km AirbagsBeagle 2 ESA Mars 2003 174 x 106 km Successful landing, communications failure. Huygens ESA Titan20051200 x 200 kmPhoenix NASA Mars2008100 x 19 km or "70 km long"Mars Science Laboratory NASA Mars 2012 25 x 20 km Sky craneChang'e 3 CNSA Moon 2013 6 x 6 km Landed with a landing error of ~89 m, 2 m targeting precisionPhilae ESA 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko 2014 0.5 km Falcon 9 first-stage booster SpaceXEarth2015~20 mFirst reusable rocket, and the most precise landing system to date. Included for comparison.Schiaparelli EDM ESAMars2016100 x 15 kmCrash landing.Cassini NASASaturn2017-09-17TBDRotation brought entry area into view.InSight NASA Mars2018130 x 27 kmHayabusa2 JAXA162173 Ryugu 2018 2 or 3 m Sampling occurred in ~1 m from a target.OSIRIS-REx NASA101955 Bennu 2020 6.5 m Sampling occurred in ~1 m from a target.Mars 2020 NASA Mars 2021 7.7 x 6.6 km Sky crane. Landed 1.7 km from center of ellipse.Tianwen-1 CNSAMars202156 x 22 kmExoMars 2020 ESA/RoscosmosMars2023104 x 19 km or 120 x 19 kmMission postponed until 2028.Luna 25 RoscosmosMoon2023-08-1930 x 15 kmMission failed before landing attempt.Chandrayaan-3 ISROMoon2023-08-234.5 x 2.5 km or 4 x 2.4 kmOSIRIS-REx return capsule NASAEarth2023-09-2430 x 80 km, 14 x 58 km, or 12 x 30 kmSample return from an asteroid. Capsule landed ~ 8 km from the center.Peregrine Mission One Astrobotic, Inc. Moon2024-01-1824 x 6 kmFirst U.S. lunar lander built since Apollo Program (1972). Aborted to Point Nemo.SLIM JAXAMoon2024-01-19100 mDubbed "Moon Sniper" for its accuracy (despite having landed upside-down). Landed ~55 m from target point.IM-1 Nova-C Odysseus Intuitive Machines Moon2024-02-22 Landed ~1.5 km from the target. Blue Ghost Mission 1 Firefly Aerospace Moon 2025-03-02 100 m Landed within the ellipse.

See also Moon landing Mars landing Great Galactic Ghoul Cone of Uncertainty Tropical cyclone forecasting Deliberate crash landings on extraterrestrial bodies

Notes

References