Comparison of Asian national space programs

Several rockets of the Long March family

China has a space program with an independent human spaceflight capability, having successfully developed a sizable family of Long March rockets. It has launched two lunar orbiters: Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2. On 2 December 2013, China launched a modified Long March 3B rocket to the moon, carrying a Chang'e 3 Moon lander and its rover Yutu, which successfully performed a soft landing and rover operations. With the success of the mission, China became the third country to do so; it planned to retrieve further samples in 2017.[29] In 2011, China embarked on a program to establish a crewed space station, starting with the launch of Tiangong 1 and followed by Tiangong 2 in 2016. In 2011, in a joint mission with Russia, China launched a Mars orbiter, Yinghuo-1, which failed to leave Earth orbit. Nevertheless, the 2020 Chinese Mars Mission—with an orbiter, a lander, and a rover—has been approved by the Chinese government. Launched in July 2020, the mission is on a course to Mars.[30] China has collaborative projects with Russia, the ESA, and Brazil, launching commercial satellites for other countries. Some analysts suggest that the Chinese space program is linked to the nation's efforts at developing advanced military technology.[31]

China's advanced technology is the result of the integration of various related technological experiences. Early Chinese satellites such as the FSW series have undergone many atmospheric reentry tests. In the 1990s, China was conducting commercial launches, resulting in more launch experiences and a high success rate following the decade. China has aimed to undertake scientific development in fields including Solar System exploration, with China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft successfully performing an EVA in September 2008. China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft successfully completed a crewed docking in June 2012. Furthermore, China's Chang'e 2 explorer became the first object to reach the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point, in August 2011, as well as becoming the first probe to explore both the Moon and asteroids by making a flyby of the asteroid 4179 Toutatis. China has launched DAMPE, the most capable dark matter explorer to date, in 2015, in addition to the world's first quantum communication satellite, QUESS, in 2016.

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.[32][33] 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.[34]

The first Indian to travel in space was Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11, launched 2 April 1984 from the USSR.[35]

Just several days after the aforementioned mission, China said that it would send a human into orbit in the second half of 2003; Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly urged his country's scientists to work towards sending a man to the Moon.[36] 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.[37] The nation also launched its second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, to the south pole of the Moon.[38][39]

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.[40]

ISRO has demonstrated its re-entry technology and, as of 2020, has launched as many as 175 foreign satellites belonging to global customers from 20 countries, including the US, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, and the U.K. 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.[41] The PSLVs possess a success rate of more than 90%, having had their 35th successful mission in a row, out of 39 total missions, as of February 2017.

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.[42][43]

Recent reports indicate that human spaceflight is planned for December 2021, with a spacecraft called Gaganyaan, which will embark upon a domestically developed GSLV-III rocket.[44] The ISRO is also planning to send orbiters to Venus and Mars in the near future. India has successfully tested an anti-satellite missile, making it the fourth country to do so.

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

Japan has been cooperating with the United States on missile defense since 1999. North Korean nuclear and Chinese military programs represent a serious issue for Japan's foreign relations.[45] 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.[46] Japan started to construct spy satellites after North Korea test-fired a Taepodong missile over Japan in 1998. The North Korean government claimed the missile was merely launching a satellite into space, accusing Japan of causing an arms race.[47] 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.[48] 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. A new, more conservative JAXA crewed spacecraft project is supposed to be launched by 2025 as part of Japan's plan to send human missions to the Moon. Shinya Matsuura is doubtful about the Japanese human Moon project, suspecting the project is a euphemism for participation in the American Constellation program.[49] 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.[49][50]

Iranian Simorgh (rocket) SLV

Iran has developed its own satellite launch vehicle, named the Safir SLV, based on the Shahab series of IRBMs. On 2 February 2009, Iranian state television reported that Iran's first domestically manufactured satellite, Omid (from the Persian امید, meaning "hope") had been successfully launched into low Earth orbit by a version of Iran's Safir rocket, the Safir-2.[51] The launch coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Iran is also developing a new rocket, named Simorgh.

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.[52] 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."[53]

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,[54] 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.[55] 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.[56] 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 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.[57] 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.[58] Indonesia has undertaken programs to develop and use their own small space launch vehicle Pengorbitan (RPS-420).[59][60]

South Korea is a more recent player in the Asian space race.[61] 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.[62] 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.[63] 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.[64] South Korea is pursuing a space program that could defend the peninsula while lessening their dependency on the United States.

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, thus making Turkey the second nation in the world capable of such a feat, after the United States. Turkey is also developing an orbital launch system known as UFS.[65]

Other minor space-faring countries are Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. On 7 June 1962, with the launch of the Rehbar-I rocket, Pakistan became the tenth country 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.[66] Under its Space programme 2040, Pakistan aims to operate five geostationary and six low-earth-orbit satellites. Development of a satellite launch vehicle is not planned.

In 2018, with the launch of the Bangabandhu-1 satellite, which was purchased abroad, Bangladesh began operating its first communication satellite. The Bangladesh Space Agency intends to launch satellites after 2020. Bangladesh's government has stressed that the country seeks an "entirely peaceful and commercial" role in space.[67]

• First Asian country to collaborate on the International Space Station –  Japan
• First Asian country to launch over 100 satellites from a single rocket –  India[77][78]

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 12 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)[79]
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

Solid fuel rockets

Country	Rocket	Burn time	Specific impulse (Vac.)	Thrust (Vac.)
India	S200 booster rocket stage[80]	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

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	88.26 kN (19,840 lbf)	Upper stage	Expander	2016 — present	In service
	YF-77 cryogenic engine	700 kN (160,000 lbf)	Booster	Gas generator	2016 — present	In service
India	CE-7.5 cryogenic engine	73.5 kN (16,500 lbf)	Upper stage	Staged combustion	2014 — present	In service
	CE-20 cryogenic engine	200 kN (45,000 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-5	25,000 kg (55,000 lb)	2016	CZ-5	14,000 kg (31,000 lb)	2016
Japan	H-IIB	16,500 kg (36,400 lb)	2009	H-IIB	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)	2009
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
North Korea	Unha-3	200 kg (440 lb)	2009	Not any yet
Iran	Safir-1B	50 kg (110 lb)	2008	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	20	2015	Long March 6	1
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[81]

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
India	0.25 meter	Cartosat-3	2019
Japan	0.4 meter	IGS Optical 5V	2013
Israel	0.5 meter	Ofeq 9	2010
China	0.5 meter	Gaofen 9	2015
South Korea	0.7 meter	KOMPSAT-3	2012
Iran	150 meters	Rasad 1	2011

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
Japan	0.5 meter	IGS R-5	2017
Israel	0.5	TecSAR	2008
China	0.5 meter	Yaogan 29	2015
South Korea	1 meter	KOMPSat-5	2013

Communications satellite technology

Country	Satellite	Transponders	Mass	Power	Year launched
China	NIGCOMSAT 1R	28	5,150 kg (11,350 lb)	10.5 kW	2011
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)				2020 (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)	1.35 kW	80 mN	1600s

First indigenous human spaceflights

Country	Program		First successful human spaceflight		Status
	Name	Period	Year	Spacecraft
China	Project 714	1968–72	N/A	Shuguang-1	Cancelled
	Project 873	1978–80	N/A	Piloted FSW satellite	Cancelled
	Project 921/Shenzhou	1992–present	2003	Shenzhou 5	Ongoing
India	Indian Human Spaceflight Programme	2007–present	2021 (Planned) Before August 2022 (Scheduled)	Gaganyaan	Ongoing

Independent human spaceflights

Country	Total persons	Total flights
China[82]	11	11

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 & Tiangong 1	2011	Shenzhou 9 & Tiangong 1	2012
India	SPADEX	2020 (Planned)

First space habitation module

Country	Spacecraft	Year launched
Japan	Kibo	2008
China	Tiangong 1	2011
India[83][84][85][86]	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 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	2020 (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	2021 (Planned)
TBD	India  Japan	Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	2024 (Planned)

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	2013[87]
TBD	Japan	Nozomi	1998 (Failed)
TBD	China	Yinghuo-1	2011 (Failed)[88]
		Tianwen-1	2020 (en route)
TBD	United Arab Emirates	Hope Mars Mission	2020 (en route)

First intentional Mars landing

No.	Country	Spacecraft	Year	Landing type
TBD	China	Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover	2021 (en route)	Soft landing
TBD	India	Mars Orbiter Mission 2	2024 (Planned)[89]	TBD

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)[90] 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	2011 Yinghuo-1 (Failure)	(planned) Solar Space Telescope	2017 Space Hard X-Ray Modulation Telescope
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[91]	IDRSS (Planned)	2013 Mangalyaan[87] (orbiter)	2021 (planned) Aditya-L1	2015 Astrosat
Japan	1986 (H-I H15F)[92] 3 Sats	2002 H-IIA FedSat	1977 ETS-II[93] (by N-I)	1994 OREX	1997 ETS-VII[94]	2010 QZSS[95]	2002 Kodama	1998 Nozomi (orbiter) (Failure)	1975 Taiyo[96]	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)	N/A		1989	Space Research Center, Baghdad	Abandoned	[97]
Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	150 kg (330 lb) (400 km (250 mi))	N/A		1987	ISRO	Retired	[98]
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	[99]
Feng Bao 1		China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,500 kg (5,500 lb)			1972	Shanghai Bureau No.2	Retired	[100]
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	[101]
	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	[102]
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	N/A	JAXA/ULA/IHI	Cancelled	[103]
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	[104]
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	[105]
	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	[106]
	H-IIB			16,500 kg (36,400 lb)	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)		2009	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	In service	[107]
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	[108]
J-I		Japan	Experimental expendable launch vehicle	–	–	1,054 kg (2,324 lb) along 1,300 km (810 mi) downrange.	1996	NASDA/ISAS	Retired	[109]
Jielong-1		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		N/A	150 kg (330 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2019	CALT	In service	[110]
Kaituozhe	Kaituozhe-1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb)	Not applicable		2002	CASC	Retired	[111]
	Kaituozhe-2		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	800 kg (1,800 lb)			2017		In service	[112]
	Kaituozhe-2A		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 km (1,200 mi)			Unconfirmed		Unknown
Kuaizhou	Kuaizhou 1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		N/A	430 kg (950 lb) to 500 km (310 mi) (SSO)	2013	CASC	In service	[113][114]
	Kuaizhou-1A		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)	N/A	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	[115]
	Kuaizhou-21		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)			2025 (Projected)		Under development	[113][116]
	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	[117]
Long 1 March rocket family	Long March 1	China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	300 kg (660 lb)	N/A		1970	MAI/CASC/CAST	Retired	[118]
	Long March 1D		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	930 kg (2,050 lb)	N/A		1995	CALT	Retired	[119]
Long March 2	Long March 2A	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)			1974	CALT	Retired	[120]
	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		In service
	Long March 2E		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	9,500 kg (20,900 lb)	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)		1990		In service
	Long March 2F		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	8,400 kg (18,500 lb)			1990		In service
Long March 3	Long 3 March	China	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	5,000 kg (11,000 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		1984	CALT	Retired	[121]
	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)	5,100 kg (11,200 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	CALT	Retired	[122]
	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		China	Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	25,000 kg (55,000 lb) (200 km (120 mi) x 400 km (250 mi))	14,000 kg (31,000 lb)	8,200 kg (18,100 lb) to TLI	2016	CALT	In service	[123]
Long March 6		China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle		N/A	1,080 kg (2,380 lb) to 700 km (430 mi) (SSO)	2015	CALT	In service	[124]
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	[125]
Long March 9[126]		China	Super heavy lift	140,000[127]	66,000[128]	50,000 to TLI[127] 44,000 to TMI[129]	2028[130]–2030[129]	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) (Sun-synchronous orbit)	2015	CALT	In service	[131]
Mu (rocket family)	Mu-3C	Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	195 kg (430 lb)			1974	ISAS/Nissan/IHI	Retired	[132]
	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	[133]
	N-II		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)	730 kg (1,610 lb)		1981		Retired	[134]
Paektusan-1		North Korea	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	700 kg (1,500 lb)			1998	KCST	Retired	[135]
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	[136]
	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)			N/A		Concept only
Qonoos		Iran	Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	3,500 kg (7,700 lb)	1,500 kg (3,300 lb)		2025 (Projected)	ISA	Under development
Reusable Launch Vehicle		India	TSTO Reusable launch system				2016 (Flight experiment)	ISRO	Under development	[137]
RPS-420	Pengorbitan-1	Indonesia	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	25 kg (55 lb)	N/A		TBD	LAPAN	Proposed	[138]
	Pengorbitan-2		Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb)	N/A		TBD		Proposed
S-Series (rocket family)	SS-520	Japan	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	100 kg (220 lb) (>300 km (190 mi)	N/A		1980	IHI Corporation	In service	[139]
Safir		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	65 kg (143 lb)	N/A		2008	ISA	In service	[140]
Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	40 kg (88 lb) (400 km (250 mi)	N/A		1979	ISRO	Retired	[141]
Shavit		Israel	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	800 kg (1,800 lb)	N/A		1988	Israel Aerospace Industries	In service	[142]
Simorgh		Iran	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	350 kg (770 lb)	N/A		2016 (Sub-orbital)	ISA	Under development	[143]
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle		India	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	500 kg (1,100 lb) (500 km (310 mi))	N/A	300 kg (660 lb)	2020 (Planned)	ISRO	Under development	[144]
TSLV		Republic of China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	50 kg (110 lb) (700 km (430 mi))	N/A		TBD	NSPO	Under development	[145][146]
Unha		North Korea	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	200 kg (440 lb) (465 km (289 mi) x 502 km (312 mi))	N/A		2009	KCST	In service	[147]
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)		No earlier than 2022	ISRO	Under development	[89][148][149]
	ULV with 2 x S-60 boosters		Medium lift expendable launch vehicle	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)	3,000 kg (6,600 lb)		No earlier than 2022		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)		No earlier than 2022		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)		No earlier than 2022		Under development
	HLV variant		Heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)	10,000 kg (22,000 lb)		2020s		Under development
	SHLV variant		Super heavy lift expendable launch vehicle	41,300 kg (91,100 lb)-60,000 kg (130,000 lb)	16,300 kg (35,900 lb)		2020s		Under development
Uydu Fırlatma Sistemi		Turkey	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	Microsatellites (700 km (430 mi))	N/A		TBD	ROKETSAN	Under development	[150]
Yun Feng SLV		Republic of China	Small lift expendable launch vehicle	200 kg (440 lb) (500 km (310 mi)	N/A		TBD	NCSIST	Under development	[146]

Shenzhou spacecraft

Shenzhou spacecraft and Tiangong space laboratory

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, although the internal politics of the Cultural Revolution likely motivated the closure.

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.[170]

In 1992, under Project 921-1, authorization and funding was given for the first phase of a third, successful attempt at crewed spaceflight, using a Shenzhou spacecraft. The Shenzhou program included four uncrewed test flights and two crewed missions. The first one was Shenzhou 1 on 20 November 1999. On 9 January 2001, Shenzhou 2 was launched, carrying test animals. Shenzhou 3 and Shenzhou 4 were launched in 2002, carrying test dummies. Following these was the successful Shenzhou 5, China's first crewed mission into space on 15 October 2003, which put Yang Liwei in orbit for 21 hours and made China the third nation to launch a human into orbit.

The second phase of Project 921 started with Shenzhou 7, China's first spacewalk mission. Then, two crewed missions were planned for the first Chinese space laboratory. The PRC initially designed the Shenzhou spacecraft with docking technologies imported from Russia, meaning that it was compatible with the International Space Station (ISS). On 29 September 2011, China launched the Tiangong 1 Space Laboratory. This target module was intended to be the first step in testing the technology required for a planned space station. On 31 October 2011, a Long March 2F rocket carried the Shenzhou 8 uncrewed spacecraft into orbit, which docked twice with the Tiangong 1 module. On 16 June 2012, the Shenzhou 9 craft took off with a crew of three and successfully docked with the Tiangong-1 laboratory on 18 June 2012, at 06:07 UTC, marking China's first crewed spacecraft docking.[171]

Chinese large modular space station

Under Project 921-2, a larger permanent crewed modular Chinese Space Station would constitute the third and last phase of China's LEO human spacefaring. This will have a modular design with an eventual weight of around 60 tons, to be completed sometime before 2020. The first section, designated Tiangong 3, is scheduled for launch after Tiangong 2.[172] The new station will be supported by new X-11 reused crewed, Tianzhou non-reentry and Shenzhou Cargo reentry cargo spacecraft. The first uncrewed flight of X-11 took place on 5 May 2020.

The PRC aims for a human moon landing in the 2030s.

Also, a reusable shuttle system with crewed winged spaceplane orbiter is projected. The first such Tianjiao-1 and Chang Cheng-1 (Great Wall-1) systems were considered in the 1980s–1990s, under Project 869. Now, Project 921-3 plans for a Reusable Launch Vehicle with Shenlong orbiter. As an alternative, the Tengyun two wing-staged reusable shuttle system and HTS maglev launch assist space shuttle were proposed.

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.[173]

India's Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP) was officially started in 2007[174][175] by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the aim of developing the technology needed to launch crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit.[176] To demonstrate the ability of recovering crewed orbiters, SRE-1 was conducted in the same year.[177] 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.[178]

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.[179]

In July 2018, a pad abort test was conducted to validate a crew escape system.[180] Parachute tests were scheduled before the end of 2019 and multiple in-flight abort tests were planned starting mid-2020.[89]

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.[181] India is expected to send 3 humans into LEO on Gaganyaan spacecraft for 3–4 days onboard a GSLV Mk III launch vehicle.[182]

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;[183] afterward it received the highest priority.[184] The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) was set up in January 2019 to coordinate implementation of the mission.[185] 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"[186] 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.[89]

As of December 2019, India's Department of Space maintains the scheduled date of December 2021 to conduct human spaceflight.[187]

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.[188][189][190]

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.[191]

The agency intends to conduct a crewed lunar landing, as well, in future.[192][193]

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. [194] 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.[195][196]

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.[197][198] A sub-orbital spaceflight was conducted in 2016.[199]

On 17 February 2015, Iran unveiled a mock prototype of an Iranian crewed spacecraft that would be capable of taking one astronaut into space.[200] According to Iran's space administrator, this program was indefinitely put on hold in 2017.[201]

According to unofficial Chinese internet sources, an Iranian participation in the future Chinese space station program has been under discussion.[202] 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.[203]

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.

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	Orbiter Lander Rover	2013	Long March 3B	Success
Chang'e 5-T1	Flyby	2014	Long March 3C	Success
Chang'e 4	Orbiters Lander Rover	2018–19	Long March 4C and Long March 3B	Success
Chandrayaan-2	Orbiter Lander Rover	2019	GSLV MkIII	Partial success
Chang'e 5	Sample return	2020	Long March 5	Success
Chandrayaan-3	Lander Rover	Q2 2021	GSLV MkIII	Planned
SELENE-2	Orbiter Lander Rover	2020s (intended)	H-IIA (intended)	Cancelled
SLIM	Lander	January 2022	H-IIA 202	Planned
Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter	Orbiter	August 2022	Falcon 9	Planned
DESTINY+	Flyby	2022	Epsilon	Planned
Chang'e 6	Sample return	2023–24	Long March 5	Planned
Chang'e 7	Lander	2023	TBD	Planned
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission	Orbiter Lander Rover	2024	H3	Proposed
Chang'e 8	Lander	2026	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.

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.[204] 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,[205] 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.[192][206]

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. With the Chang'e 4, China became the first country to land on the far side of the Moon. China also aims to undertake a human Moon landing by the late 2020s.[207]

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.

Chinese scientists expect that China will take 20 years to launch independent planetary probes.[208] The Chinese human Mars exploration program is planned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences for around 2050.[209] After the failed attempt to launch Yinghuo-1, China is planning another Mars mission, with an orbiter as well as a rover, alongside its plans to send an orbiter to Venus around 2025.[210] China has also been planning to send an orbiter to Jupiter.

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.[211] India was scheduled to launch Aditya-L1 near the Sun to study Solar corona[212] and is developing the Shukrayaan-1 spacecraft to be sent to Venus.[213] India is also studying exploration missions to asteroids, Jupiter, to beyond the solar system like the American Voyager 1 and to exo-planets.[214]

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 orbiter 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
Tianwen-1	Mars	Orbiter/Rover	2020–21	Long March 5	en route
Hope Mars Mission	Mars	Orbiter	2020–21	H-IIA	en route
Aditya-L1	Sun	Orbiter	2020	PSLV-XL	Planned
DESTINY+	Asteroid: 3200 Phaethon	Flyby	2022–26	Epsilon	Planned
Shukrayaan-1	Venus	Orbiter and aerobots	2023	GSLV MkIII	Planned
MMX	Mars	Orbiter	2024–2025	TBD	Planned
	Phobos	Sample return			Planned
Mars Orbiter Mission 2	Mars	Orbiter Lander Rover	TBD	GSLV MkII or GSLV MkIII	Planned