Miss the target. Keep the mission.
Will a lander near the Moon's south pole get sunlight and keep Earth in view, even if it lands off target or launches late? Drag the aim on the map, change the landing date, and compare sites.
Drag to move your aim
- Enough sunlight and Earth in view for the first 14 days
- Landing works
- Landing fails
- 100 m typical miss
Chance by landing date, same aim
Bar height is the chance the mission works. Amber: a good date, 90% or better.
From the landing spot: first 14 days
Stand at the aim point and look all the way around. Gray is the line of hills. The lander has power while the Sun is above the hills, and can talk to home while Earth is above them.
When they're up
The first 14 days play on their own. Tap or drag the timeline to stop at a moment.
Where they are in the sky
One dot per day. Heights are stretched so the hills show. From the Moon, Earth hangs almost still and slowly bobs up and down; the Sun circles the whole horizon once a month.