| Names | 4M |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Reconnaissance, memorial |
| Operator | LuxSpace |
| COSPAR ID | 2014-065B |
| SATCAT no. | 40284 |
| Website | luxspace |
| Mission duration | 19 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | LuxSpace |
| Launch mass | Payload 14 kg, 3rd stage of rocket to which payload was permanently attached 21,000 kg,[1] Nominal total=21,014 kg |
| Dry mass | 14 kg (31 lb) |
| Dimensions | 61 cm × 26 cm × 10 cm (2.00 ft × 0.85 ft × 0.33 ft) |
| Power | 4.5 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 October 2014, 18:00:04 UTC[2] |
| Rocket | Long March 3C/G2 |
| Launch site | Xichang LC-2 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Crashed |
| Destroyed | 4 March 2022 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Highly Elliptical |
| Perigee altitude | 1,282 kilometers (797 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 404,724 kilometers (251,484 mi) |
| Inclination | 30.4° |
| Period | 10.93 days |
| Flyby of Moon | |
| Closest approach | 28 October 2014[3] |
| Distance | 13,000 km (8,100 mi) |
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M) was the first private lunar probe to successfully fly by the Moon. It was led by LuxSpace, a child company of German OHB System, and named in honor of OHB Systems founder, Manfred Fuchs, who died in 2014. It was launched with the Chinese Chang'e 5-T1 test spacecraft on 23 October 2014.[4][5] The lunar flyby took place on 28 October 2014, after which the spacecraft entered elliptical Earth orbit and continued transmission until 11 November 2014, exceeding its designed lifetime by four times.[3][6][7]
The spacecraft, along with the rocket stage to which it was attached, likely made impact with the surface of the Moon after its orbit decayed, on 4 March 2022.[8] This made Luxembourg the eighth country to reach the surface of the Moon.
- ^ "CZ-3A-3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Flyby has occurred this night". LuxSpace. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "First commercial mission to the moon launched from China". Spaceflight Now. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "China Readies Moon Mission for Launch Next Week". Space.com. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "End of 4M mission". LuxSpace. 18 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "Saft lithium batteries powered the 4M mini-probe to success on the world's first privately funded Moon mission" (Press release). Paris: Saft. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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