The Soviet Luna programme was the first successful lunar programme, its Luna 1 (1959) being the first partially successful lunar mission
The first image taken of the far side of the Moon, returned by Luna 3 (1959)

Missions to the Moon have been numerous and represent some of the earliest endeavours in space missions, with continuous exploration of the Moon beginning in 1959.

The first partially successful lunar mission was Luna 1 in January 1959, which became the first probe to escape Earth's gravity and perform a flyby of another astronomical body, passing near the Moon. Soon after, the first Moon landing—and the first landing on any extraterrestrial body—was carried out by Luna 2, which intentionally impacted the Moon on 14 September 1959. The far side of the Moon, permanently hidden from Earth due to tidal locking, was imaged for the first time by Luna 3 on 7 October 1959, revealing terrain never before seen.

Significant advances continued throughout the 1960s. In 1966, Luna 9 achieved the first controlled soft landing on the lunar surface, followed later that year by Luna 10, the first spacecraft to enter orbit around the Moon. In 1968, the Zond 5 mission became the first to carry terrestrial lifeforms—specifically tortoises—on a circumlunar approach that brought them close to the Moon and returned them safely to Earth, demonstrating biological viability in deep space.

The first crewed missions to the Moon were undertaken by the United States, forming the pinnacle of the Space Race. While the Soviet programme pivoted toward robotic sample return missions, the American Apollo program advanced through a sequence of increasingly complex missions. In December 1968, Apollo 8 became the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon. On 20 July 1969, Apollo 11 accomplished the first crewed landing on the lunar surface, during which Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon. Concurrently, the Soviet Luna 15 robotic mission was also orbiting the Moon, marking the first known instance of simultaneous extraterrestrial operations by different nations.

Between 1969 and 1972, the United States carried out six successful Apollo landings, while the Soviet Union continued deploying uncrewed probes, including the Lunokhod programme—the first extraterrestrial rovers—and sample return missions through 1976. Following this period, there was a gap in dedicated lunar missions lasting until 1990. Since then, renewed interest in lunar exploration has seen additional missions conducted by a broader range of spacefaring entities. In chronological order following the Soviet Union and the United States, the Moon has been visited by Japan, the European Space Agency, China, India, Luxembourg, Israel, Italy, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Pakistan.

In 2018, the far side of the Moon was targeted for the first time by a landing mission. On 3 January 2019, China's Chang'e 4 mission successfully landed in the Aitken basin, deploying the Yutu-2 rover, which commenced scientific operations on the unexplored lunar hemisphere. Five years later, China launched the Chang'e 6 sample return mission to the far side. Its lander touched down in Apollo crater on 1 June 2024 and collected the first lunar samples retrieved from the Moon's far hemisphere.

The first commercial mission to the Moon was the Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M), developed by LuxSpace, a subsidiary of the German aerospace company OHB AG, Launched on 23 October 2014 with the mission flying as a secondary payload aboard CNSA's Chang'e 5-T1 spacecraft.

The Moon has also been visited by a small number of spacecraft not dedicated to lunar study. Of these, four executed flybys using the Moon for gravity assist manoeuvres to alter their interplanetary trajectories. In addition, Explorer 49, a radio astronomy satellite launched by the United States in 1973, was placed into selenocentric orbit where the Moon itself served as a shield from terrestrial radio interference, enabling observations of deep-space radio signals.

20th century

  • 1950
  • 1960
  • 1970
  • 1980
  • 1990

Legend

Cubesat or similar

MissionLaunch dateOperatorCarrier rocketSpacecraftMission typeOutcome
1Pioneer 0 (Able I)17 August 1958United States USAFThor DM-18 AbleIPioneer 0OrbiterLaunch failure
First attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; failed to orbit due to turbopump gearbox malfunction resulting in first-stage explosion. Reached apogee of 16 kilometres (10mi).
2Luna E-1 No.123 September 1958Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna E-1 No.1ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated due to excessive vibration.
3Pioneer 1 (Able II)11 October 1958United States NASAThor DM-18 AbleIPioneer 1OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature second-stage cutoff due to accelerometer failure. Later known as Pioneer 1. Reached apogee of 113,800 kilometres (70,700mi).
4Luna E-1 No.211 October 1958Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna E-1 No.2ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; carrier rocket exploded due to excessive vibration.
5Pioneer 2 (Able III)8 November 1958United States NASAThor DM-18 AbleIPioneer 2OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature second-stage cutoff due to erroneous command by ground controllers; third stage failed to ignite due to broken electrical connection. Reached apogee of 1,550 kilometres (960mi).
6Luna E-1 No.34 December 1958Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna E-1 No.3ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; seal failure in hydrogen peroxide pump cooling system resulted in core-stage underperformance.
7Pioneer 36 December 1958United States NASAJuno IIPioneer 3FlybyLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature first-stage cutoff. Reached apogee of 102,360 kilometres (63,600mi).
8Luna 1 (E-1 No.4)2 January 1959Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna 1ImpactorPartial failure
Carrier rocket guidance problem resulted in failure to impact Moon, flew past in a heliocentric orbit. Closest approach 5,995 kilometres (3,725mi) on 4 January. First spacecraft to fly by the Moon.
9Pioneer 43 March 1959United States NASAJuno IIPioneer 4FlybyPartial failure
Second-stage overperformance resulted in flyby at greater altitude than expected, out of instrument range, with 58,983 kilometres (36,650mi) of distance. Closest approach at 22:25 UTC on 4 March. First U.S. spacecraft to leave Earth orbit.
10E-1A No.118 June 1959Soviet Union OKB-1LunaE-1A No.1ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; guidance system malfunction.
11Luna 2 (E-1A No.2)12 September 1959Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna 2ImpactorSuccess
Successful impact at 21:02 on 14 September 1959. First spacecraft to impact the lunar surface. This made the Soviet Union the first country to impact the surface of the Moon.
12Luna 3 (E-2A No.1)4 October 1959Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna 3FlybySuccess
Returned the first images of the far side of the Moon.
13Pioneer P-3 Able IVB26 November 1959United States NASAAtlas-D AblePioneer P-3OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; payload fairing disintegrated due to design fault.
14Luna E-3 No.115 April 1960Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna E-3 No.1FlybyLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature third-stage cutoff.
15Luna E-3 No.216 April 1960Soviet Union OKB-1LunaLuna E-3 No.2FlybyLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated ten seconds after launch.
16Pioneer P-30 (Able VA)25 September 1960United States NASAAtlas-D AblePioneer P-30OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; second-stage oxidizer system malfunction resulting in premature cutoff.
17Pioneer P-31 (Able VB)15 December 1960United States NASAAtlas-D AblePioneer P-31OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit, exploded 68 seconds after launch, at an altitude of 12.2 kilometres (7.6mi). Second stage ignited while first stage was still attached and burning.
18Ranger 3 (P-34)26 January 1962United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 3ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Ranger 3 landerLanderSpacecraft failure
Partial launch failure due to guidance problem; attempt to correct using spacecraft's engine resulted in it missing the Moon by 36,793 kilometres (22,862mi).
19Ranger 4 (P-35)23 April 1962United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 4ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Ranger 4 landerLanderSpacecraft failure
Failed to deploy solar panels, ran out of power ten hours after launch; incidental impact on the far side of the Moon on 26 April. First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon. The impact made the United States the 2nd country to impact the surface of the Moon.
20Ranger 5 (P-36)18 October 1962United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 5ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Ranger 5 landerLanderSpacecraft failure
Solar panels erroneously disengaged from power system, failed 8+3⁄4 hours after launch when batteries were depleted. Missed the Moon as course correction was not completed.
21Luna E-6 No.24 January 1963Soviet Union OKB-1Molniya-LLuna E-6 No.2LanderLaunch failure
Failed to depart Low Earth orbit; guidance system power failure prevented upper-stage ignition.
22Luna E-6 No.33 February 1963Soviet Union OKB-1Molniya-LLuna E-6 No.3LanderLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; guidance failure.
23Luna 4 (E-6 No.4)2 April 1963Soviet Union OKB-1Molniya-LLuna 4LanderSpacecraft failure
Failed to perform mid-course correction, remained in high Earth orbit until given escape velocity by orbital perturbation.
24Ranger 6 (P-54)30 January 1964United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 6ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Impacted on 2 February 1964, failed to return images due to power system failure.
25Luna E-6 No.621 March 1964Soviet Union OKB-1Molniya-MLuna E-6 No.6LanderLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; third stage underperformed due to oxidiser valve failure.
26Luna E-6 No.520 April 1964Soviet Union OKB-1Molniya-MLuna E-6 No.5LanderLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; power failure caused by broken connection resulted in premature third-stage cutoff.
27Ranger 728 July 1964United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 7ImpactorSuccess
Impacted on 30 July 1964 at 13:25:48 UTC.
28Ranger 817 February 1965United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 8ImpactorSuccess
Impacted on 20 February 1965 at 09:57:37 UTC.
29Kosmos 60 (E-6 No.9)12 March 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-LKosmos 60LanderLaunch failure
Upper stage failed to restart due to guidance system short circuit, Failed to depart low Earth orbit.
30Ranger 921 March 1965United States NASAAtlas LV-3 Agena-BRanger 9ImpactorSuccess
Impacted on 24 March 1965 at 14:08:20 UTC.
31Luna E-6 No.810 April 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-LLuna E-6 No.8LanderSpacecraft failure
Third stage failed to ignite due to loss of oxidiser pressure, failed to orbit.
32Luna 5 (E-6 No.10)9 May 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 5LanderSpacecraft failure
Loss of control after gyroscope malfunction, failed to decelerate for landing and impacted the Moon at 19:10 UTC on 12 May 1965.
33Luna 6 (E-6 No.7)8 June 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 6LanderSpacecraft failure
Engine failed to shut down after performing mid-course correction manoeuvre, flew past the Moon in a heliocentric orbit.
34Zond 3 (3MV-4 No.3)18 July 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniyaZond 3FlybySuccess
Flew past the Moon on 20 July 1965 at a distance of 9,200 kilometres (5,700mi). Conducted technology demonstration for future planetary missions.
35Luna 7 (E-6 No.11)4 October 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniyaLuna 7LanderSpacecraft failure
Attitude control failure shortly before landing prevented controlled descent; impacted the lunar surface 22:08:24 UTC on 7 October 1965.
36Luna 8 (E-6 No.12)3 December 1965Soviet Union LavochkinMolniyaLuna 8LanderSpacecraft failure
Landing airbag punctured, resulting in loss of attitude control shortly before planned touchdown, impacted Moon on 6 December 1965 at 21:51:30 UTC.
37Luna 9 (E-6 No.13)31 January 1966Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 9LanderSuccess
First spacecraft to land successfully on the Moon. Touchdown on 3 February 1966 at 18:45:30 UTC. Returned data until 6 February at 22:55 UTC. With its soft landing, the Soviet Union became the first country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
38Kosmos 111 (E-6S No.204)1 March 1966Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MKosmos 111OrbiterLaunch failure
Upper stage lost attitude control and failed to ignite; spacecraft never left low Earth orbit.
39Luna 10 (E-6S No.206)31 March 1966Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 10OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit at 18:44 UTC on 3 April 1966, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Continued to return data until 30 May.
40Surveyor 130 May 1966United States NASAAtlas LV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 1LanderSuccess
Landed in Oceanus Procellarum on 2 June 1966 at 06:17:36 UTC. Returned data until loss of power on 13 July. With its soft landing, the United States became the second country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
41Explorer 33 (AIMP-D)1 July 1966United States NASADelta E1Explorer 33OrbiterLaunch failure
Magnetospheric probe; rocket imparted greater velocity than had been planned, leaving spacecraft unable to enter orbit. Repurposed for Earth orbit mission which was completed successfully.
42Lunar Orbiter 110 August 1966United States NASAAtlas SLV-3 Agena-DLunar Orbiter 1OrbiterPartial failure
Orbital insertion at around 15:36 UTC on 14 August. Deorbited early due to lack of fuel and to avoid communications interference with the next mission, impacted the Moon at 13:30 UTC on 29 October 1966.
43Luna 11 (E-6LF No.101)21 August 1966Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 11OrbiterPartial failure
Entered orbit on 28 August 1966. Failed to return images; other instruments operated correctly. Conducted gamma ray and X-ray observations to study the composition of the Moon, investigated the lunar gravitational field, the presence of meteorites in the lunar environment and the radiation environment at the Moon. Ceased operation on 1 October 1966 after power was depleted.
44Surveyor 220 September 1966United States NASAAtlas LV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 2LanderSpacecraft failure
One thruster failed to ignite during mid-course correction manoeuvre, resulting in loss of control. Impacted the Moon at 03:18 UTC on 23 September 1966.
45Luna 12 (E-6LF No.102)22 October 1966Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 12OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit on 25 October 1966 and returned data until 19 January 1967. Completed photography mission intended for Luna 11.
46Lunar Orbiter 26 November 1966United States NASAAtlas SLV-3 Agena-DLunar Orbiter 2OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit at about 19:51 UTC on 10 November 1966 to begin photographic mapping mission. Impacted on the far side of the lunar surface following deorbit burn on 11 October 1967 at end of mission.
47Luna 13 (E-6M No.205)21 December 1966Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 13LanderSuccess
Successfully landed in Oceanus Procellarum at 18:01 UTC on 24 December 1966. Returned images from the surface and studied the lunar soil. Operated until depletion of power at 06:31 UTC on 28 December.
48Lunar Orbiter 35 February 1967United States NASAAtlas SLV-3 Agena-DLunar Orbiter 3OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit at 21:54 UTC on 8 February 1967. Deorbited at end of mission and impacted the Moon on 9 October 1967.
49Surveyor 317 April 1967United States NASAAtlas LV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 3LanderSuccess
Landed at 00:04 UTC on 20 April 1967 and operated until 3 May. Visited by Apollo 12 astronauts in 1969, with some parts removed for return to Earth.
50Lunar Orbiter 44 May 1967United States NASAAtlas SLV-3 Agena-DLunar Orbiter 4OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit at 21:54 UTC on 8 May 1967, operated until 17 July. Decayed from orbit, with lunar impact occurring on 6 October 1967.
51Surveyor 414 July 1967United States NASAAtlas LV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 4LanderSpacecraft failure
Contact with spacecraft lost at 02:03 UTC on 17 July, two and a half minutes before scheduled landing. NASA determined that the spacecraft may have exploded, otherwise it impacted the Moon.
52Explorer 35 (AIMP-E)19 July 1967United States NASADelta E1Explorer 35 (AIMP-E)OrbiterSuccess
Magnetospheric probe, studying the Moon and interplanetary space. Deactivated on 27 June 1973. Presumed to have impacted the Moon during the 1970s.
53Lunar Orbiter 51 August 1967United States NASAAtlas SLV-3 Agena-DLunar Orbiter 5OrbiterSuccess
Final mission in the Lunar Orbiter series, entered selenocentric orbit on 5 August at 16:48 UTC and conducted a photographic survey until 18 August. Deorbited and impacted the Moon on 31 January 1968.
54Surveyor 58 September 1967United States NASAAtlas SLV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 5LanderSuccess
Landed in Mare Tranquillitatis at 00:46:44 UTC on 11 September. Last signals received at 04:30 UTC on 17 December 1967.
55Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L27 September 1967Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DSoyuz 7K-L1 No.4LFlybySpacecraft failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Failed to reach orbit after a blocked propellant line caused one of the first-stage engines to not ignite.
56Surveyor 67 November 1967United States NASAAtlas SLV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 6LanderSuccess
Landed in Sinus Medii at 01:01:04 UTC on 10 November. Made brief flight from lunar surface at 10:32 UTC on 17 November, followed by second landing after travelling 2.4 metres (7ft 10in). Last contact at 19:14 UTC on 14 December.
57Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L22 November 1967Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DSoyuz 7K-L1 No.5LFlybyLaunch failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions; unable to achieve orbit after second-stage engine failed to ignite.
58Surveyor 77 January 1968United States NASAAtlas SLV-3C Centaur-DSurveyor 7LanderSuccess
Final Surveyor mission. Landed 29 kilometres (18mi) from Tycho crater at 01:05:36 UTC on 10 January. Operated until 21 February 1968.
59Luna E-6LS No.1127 February 1968Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna E-6LS No.112OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit after third stage ran out of fuel.
60Luna 14 (E-6LS No.113)7 April 1968Soviet Union LavochkinMolniya-MLuna 14OrbiterSuccess
Tested communications for proposed crewed missions and studied the mass concentration of the Moon. Entered orbit on 10 April at 19:25 UTC.
61Soyuz 7K-L1 No.7L22 April 1968Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DSoyuz 7K-L1 No.7LFlybyLaunch failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Failed to orbit after second-stage engine incorrectly commanded to shut down. Spacecraft was recovered using its prototype launch escape system.
62Zond 5 (7K-L1 No.9L)14 September 1968Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DZond 5FlybySuccess
Two tortoises and other life forms on board a technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Made a closest approach of 1,950 kilometres (1,210mi) on 18 September, and circled the Moon before returning to Earth. Landed in the Indian Ocean on 21 September at 16:08 UTC, becoming the first Lunar spacecraft to be recovered successfully and carried the first Earth life to travel to and around the Moon.
63Zond 6 (7K-L1 No.12L)10 November 1968Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DZond 6FlybySpacecraft failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Carrying turtles, making this the second mission of Earthlings to travel in close proximity of the Moon, the flyby was on 14 November with a closest approach of 2,420 kilometres (1,500mi). Reentered Earth's atmosphere on 17 November; recovery was unsuccessful after parachutes were prematurely jettisoned.
64Apollo 821 December 1968United States NASASaturn VApollo 8Crewed orbiterSuccess
First crewed mission to the Moon; entered orbit around the Moon with four-minute burn beginning at 09:59:52 UTC on 24 December. Completed ten orbits of the Moon and presented a reading from the Book of Genesis before returning to Earth with an engine burn at 06:10:16 UTC on 25 December. Landed in the Pacific Ocean at 15:51 UTC on 27 December.
65Soyuz 7K-L1 No.13L20 January 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DSoyuz 7K-L1 No.13LFlybyLaunch failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Failed to orbit after one of the four second-stage engines shut down prematurely. Third-stage engine also shut down prematurely. The spacecraft was recovered using its launch escape system.
66Luna E-8 No.20119 February 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna E-8 No.201LanderLaunch failure
LunokhodRoverLaunch failure
First launch of the Lunokhod rover. Launch vehicle disintegrated 51 seconds after launch and exploded.
67Soyuz 7K-L1S No.321 February 1969Soviet Union OKB-1N1Soyuz 7K-L1S No.3OrbiterLaunch failure
First launch of N1 rocket; intended to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. First stage prematurely shut down 70 seconds after launch; launch vehicle crashed 50 kilometres (31mi) from launch site. Spacecraft landed some 35 kilometres (22mi) from the launch pad after successfully using its launch escape system.
68Apollo 1018 May 1969United States NASASaturn VApollo 10OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module SnoopySuccess
Dress rehearsal for Apollo 11. Lunar Module with two astronauts on board descended to a distance of 14.326 kilometres (8.902mi) above the lunar surface.
69Luna E-8-5 No.40214 June 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna E-8-5 No.402LanderLaunch failure
Luna E-8-5 No.402 return craftSample ReturnLaunch failure
Intended to land on the Moon and return lunar soil sample. Did not reach Earth orbit after fourth stage failed to ignite.
70Soyuz 7K-L1S No.53 July 1969Soviet Union OKB-1N1Soyuz 7K-L1S No.5OrbiterLaunch failure
Intended to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. All first-stage engines shut down 10 seconds after launch; launch vehicle crashed and exploded on the launch pad. Spacecraft landed safely 2 kilometres (1.2mi) from the launch site after using launch escape sequence.
71Luna 15 (E-8-5 No.401)13 July 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 15LanderSpacecraft failure
Luna 15 return craftSample ReturnPrecluded
Reached lunar orbit at 10:00 UTC on 17 July. Descent retro-rocket burn started at 15:47 UTC on 21 July. Contact lost three minutes after de-orbit burn; probably crashed on the Moon.
72Apollo 1116 July 1969United States NASASaturn VApollo 11OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module EagleLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
First crewed landing on the Moon. The Lunar Module Eagle landed at 20:17 UTC on 20 July 1969.
73Zond 7 (7K-L1 No.11L)7 August 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DZond 7FlybySuccess
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Carried four turtles in a lunar flyby on 10 August, with a closest approach of 1,200 kilometres (750mi); returned to Earth and landed in Kazakhstan at 18:13 UTC on 14 August.
74Kosmos 300 (E-8-5 No.403)23 September 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DKosmos 300LanderLaunch failure
Kosmos 300 return craftSample returnLaunch failure
Third attempt at lunar sample return. After reaching low Earth orbit, the fourth-stage engine failed to fire for trans-lunar injection due to oxidizer leak. Spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere about 4 days after launch.
75Kosmos 305 (E-8-5 No.404)22 October 1969Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DKosmos 305LanderLaunch failure
Kosmos 305 return craftSample ReturnLaunch failure
Fourth attempt at lunar sample return. After reaching low Earth orbit, the fourth-stage engine failed to fire for trans-lunar injection due to control system malfunction. Spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere within one orbit after launch.
76Apollo 1214 November 1969United States NASASaturn VApollo 12OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module IntrepidLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Second crewed lunar landing.
77Luna E-8-5 No.4056 February 1970Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna E-8-5 No.405LanderLaunch failure
Luna E-8-5 No.405 return craftSample returnLaunch failure
Failed to orbit
78Apollo 1311 April 1970United States NASASaturn VApollo 13OrbiterSpacecraft failure
Lunar Module AquariusLander/Launch VehiclePrecluded
Rescue missionSuccess
Lunar landing aborted following Service Module oxygen tank explosion en route to the Moon; flew past the Moon (free-return trajectory) and returned the crew safely to Earth.
79Luna 16 (E-8-5 No.406)12 September 1970Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 16LanderSuccess
Luna 16 return craftSample returnSuccess
First robotic sampling mission.
80Zond 8 (7K-L1 No.14L)20 October 1970Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DZond 8FlybySuccess
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions; returned to Earth successfully.
81Luna 17 (E-8 No.203)10 November 1970Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 17LanderSuccess
Lunokhod 1RoverSuccess
Luna 17 deployed Lunokhod 1.
82Apollo 1431 January 1971United States NASASaturn VApollo 14OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module AntaresLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Third crewed lunar landing.
83Apollo 1526 July 1971United States NASASaturn VApollo 15OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module FalconLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Lunar Roving VehicleRoverSuccess
Fourth crewed lunar landing, and first to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
84PFS-126 July 1971United States NASASaturn VPFS-1OrbiterSuccess
PFS-1 was deployed from Apollo 15.
85Luna 18 (E-8-5 No.407)2 September 1971Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 18LanderSpacecraft failure
Luna 18 return craftSample returnSpacecraft failure
Failed during descent to lunar surface.
86Luna 19 (E-8LS No.202)28 September 1971Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 19OrbiterSuccess
Entered an orbit around the Moon on 2 October 1971 after two midcourse corrections on 29 September and 1 October.
87Luna 20 (E-8-5 No.408)14 February 1972Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 20LanderSuccess
Luna 20 return craftSample returnSuccess
Luna 20 soft landed on the Moon in a mountainous area known as the Terra Apollonius (or Apollonius highlands) near Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility), 120km from where Luna 16 had landed.
88Apollo 1616 April 1972United States NASASaturn VApollo 16OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module OrionLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Lunar Roving VehicleRoverSuccess
5th crewed lunar landing.
89PFS-216 April 1972United States NASASaturn VPFS-2OrbiterSuccess
PFS-2 deployed from Apollo 16.
90Soyuz 7K-LOK No.123 November 1972Soviet Union OKB-1N1Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; intended to orbit the Moon and return to Earth.
91Apollo 177 December 1972United States NASASaturn VApollo 17OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module ChallengerLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Lunar Roving VehicleRoverSuccess
Sixth and last crewed lunar landing and last use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle; the orbiting command module included five mice.
92Luna 21 (E-8 No.204)8 January 1973Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 21LanderSuccess
Lunokhod 2RoverSuccess
Deployed Lunokhod 2.
93Explorer 49 (RAE-B)10 June 1973United States NASADelta 1913Explorer 49OrbiterSuccess
Radio astronomy spacecraft, operated in selenocentric orbit to avoid interference from terrestrial radio sources.
94Mariner 103 November 1973United States NASAAtlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AMariner 10FlybySuccess
Interplanetary spacecraft, mapped lunar north pole to test cameras.
95Luna 22 (E-8LS No.206)29 May 1974Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 22OrbiterSuccess
Inserted into a circular lunar orbit on 2 June 1974
96Luna 23 (E-8-5M No.410)28 October 1974Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 23LanderPartial failure
Luna 23 return craftSample ReturnPrecluded
Tipped over upon landing, precluding any sample return attempt. Functioned for three days on surface.
97Luna E-8-5M No.41216 October 1975Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna E-8-5M No.412LanderLaunch failure
Luna E-8-5M No.412 return craftSample ReturnLaunch failure
Failed to orbit.
98Luna 24 (E-8-5M No.413)9 August 1976Soviet Union LavochkinProton-K/DLuna 24LanderSuccess
Luna 24 return craftSample ReturnSuccess
Entered orbit on 11 August 1976 and landed in Mare Crisium at 16:36 UTC on 18 August. Sample capsule launched at 05:25 UTC on 19 August and recovered 96+1⁄2 hours later. Returned 170.1 grams (6.00oz) of lunar regolith. Final mission to the Moon from the Soviet Union.
99ISEE-3 (ICE/Explorer 59)12 August 1978United States NASADelta 2914ISEE-3FlybySuccess
Five flybys in 1982 and 1983 en route to comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner.
100Hiten (MUSES-A)24 January 1990Japan ISASMu-3S-IIHitenOrbiterSuccess
Hagoromostyle="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Spacecraft failure
Designed for flyby, placed into selenocentric orbit during extended mission after failure of Hagoromo. Deorbited and impacted in USGS quadrangle LQ27 on 10 April 1993. Hagoromo was deployed from Hiten. The impact made Japan the 3rd country to impact the surface of the Moon.
101Geotail24 July 1992Japan United States ISAS/NASADelta II 6925GeotailFlybySuccess
Series of flybys to regulate high Earth orbit.
102WIND1 November 1994United States NASADelta II 7925-10WINDFlybySuccess
Made two flybys on 1 December 1994 and 27 December 1994 to reach the Earth–Sun L1 Lagrangian point.
103Clementine (DSPSE)25 January 1994United States USAF/NASATitan II (23)G Star-37FMClementineOrbiterSuccess
Completed Lunar objectives successfully; failed following departure from selenocentric orbit.
104HGS-124 December 1997United States HughesProton-K/DM3HGS-1FlybySuccess
Communications satellite; made two flybys in May and June 1998 en route to geosynchronous orbit after delivery into wrong orbit.
105Lunar Prospector (Discovery 3)7 January 1998United States NASAAthena IILunar ProspectorOrbiterSuccess
The mission ended on July 31, 1999
106Nozomi (PLANET-B)3 July 1998Japan ISASM-VNozomiFlybySuccess
Two flybys en route to Mars.

21st century

  • 2000
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  • 2020

Legend

⚀ Cubesat or similar

MissionLaunch dateOperatorCarrier rocketSpacecraftMission typeOutcome
107WMAP30 June 2001United States NASADelta II 7425-10WMAPFlybySuccess
Flyby on 30 July 2001 to reach the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point.
108SMART-127 September 2003ESAAriane 5GSMART-1OrbiterSuccess
Impacted Moon in USGS quadrangle LQ26 at end of mission on 3 September 2006. The impact made the ESA member states collectively the 4th to impact the surface of the Moon.
109STEREO25 October 2006United States NASADelta II 7925-10LSTEREO AFlybySuccess
STEREO BSuccess
Both component spacecraft entered heliocentric orbit on 15 December 2006.
110ARTEMIS17 February 2007United States NASADelta II 7925ARTEMIS P1OrbiterOperational
ARTEMIS P2Operational
Two THEMIS spacecraft moved to selenocentric orbit for extended mission; entered orbit July 2011.
111SELENE14 September 2007Japan JAXAH-IIA 2022KaguyaOrbiterSuccess
OkinaSuccess
OunaSuccess
Deployed Okina and Ouna satellites. Kaguya and Okina impacted the Moon at end of mission. Ouna completed operations on 29 June 2009 but remains in selenocentric orbit.
112Chang'e 124 October 2007China CNSALong March 3AChang'e 1OrbiterSuccess
Impacted Moon in USGS quadrangle LQ21 on 1 March 2009, at end of mission. The impact made China the 5th country and 6th as an agency to impact the surface of the Moon.
113Chandrayaan-122 October 2008India ISROPSLV-XL C11Chandrayaan-1OrbiterSuccess
Moon Impact ProbeImpactorSuccess
Succeeded through mission. Orbit lasted 312 days, short of intended 2 years; However mission achieved most of its intended objectives. Terminated in 2009, remains in selenocentric orbit; discovered water ice on the Moon. Moon Impact Probe was deployed from the orbiter. It successfully impacted Moon's Shackleton Crater in the USGS quadrangle LQ30 at 20:31 on 14 November 2008 releasing underground debris that could be analysed by the orbiter for presence of water/ice. With this mission, India became the 4th nation to impact the lunar surface and 5th as an agency.
114LRO & LCROSS18 June 2009United States NASAAtlas V 401Lunar Reconnaissance OrbiterOrbiterOperational
LCROSSImpactorSuccess
LCROSS observed impact of Centaur upper stage that launched it and LRO, then impacted itself. Impacts in USGS quadrangle LQ30. LRO entered orbit on June 23, 2009.
115Chang'e 21 October 2010China CNSALong March 3CChang'e 2OrbiterSuccess
Following completion of six month Lunar mission, departed selenocentric orbit for Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point and subsequently flew by asteroid 4179 Toutatis for a close encounter with the asteroid at a distance of 3.2 kilometres and a relative velocity of 10.73km/s.
116GRAIL10 September 2011United States NASADelta II 7920HEbb (GRAIL-A)OrbiterSuccess
Flow (GRAIL-B)OrbiterSuccess
Impacted the Moon in USGS quadrangle LQ01 on 17 December 2012 at end of mission.
117LADEE7 September 2013United States NASAMinotaur VLADEEOrbiterSuccess
Mission ended on 18 April 2014, when the spacecraft's controllers intentionally crashed LADEE into the far side of the Moon.
118Chang'e 31 December 2013China CNSALong March 3BChang'e 3LanderOperational
YutuRoverSuccess
Entered orbit on 6 December 2013 with landing at 13:12 UTC on 14 December. Yutu rover was deployed from Chang'e 3. With its soft landing, China became the third country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
119Chang'e 5-T123 October 2014China CNSALong March 3CChang'e 5-T1OrbiterOperational
Chang'e 5-T1 Return CapsuleOrbiterSuccess
Luxembourg LuxSpaceManfred Memorial Moon MissionFlyby / Impactor (post mission)Success
Demonstration of re-entry capsule for Chang'e 5 sample-return mission at lunar return velocity. Orbiter may still be in lunar orbit. Manfred Memorial Moon Mission attached to third stage of CZ-3C used to launch Chang'e 5-T1. Impacted the Moon on 4 March 2022. The impact made Luxembourg the 7th country to impact the surface of the Moon.
120TESS18 April 2018United States NASAFalcon 9 Full ThrustTESSFlybySuccess
Flyby on 17 May 2018 to designated high Earth orbit.
121Queqiao21 May 2018China CNSALong March 4CQueqiao relay satelliteRelay SatelliteOperational
Longjiang-1OrbiterSpacecraft failure
Longjiang-2OrbiterSuccess
Launched on the same rocket as Queqiao. Longjiang-1 never entered Moon orbit, while Longjiang-2 operated in lunar orbit until 31 July 2019, when it impacted the lunar surface. Queqiao entered designated Earth–Moon L2 orbit on 14 June in preparation of Chang'e 4 far-side lunar lander in December 2018.
122Chang'e 47 December 2018China CNSALong March 3BChang'e 4LanderOperational
Yutu-2RoverOperational
First spacecraft to soft land on the far side of the Moon (South Pole–Aitken basin). Landed 3 January 2019 and deployed the Yutu-2 rover. Cottonseeds sprouted in the lander in a biological experiment, the first plants to sprout on the Moon.
123Beresheet22 February 2019Israel SpaceILFalcon 9BeresheetLanderSpacecraft failure
First Israeli and first privately funded lunar lander mission. Technology demonstration. Instrumentation included a magnetometer and laser retroreflector. Spacecraft crashed into the lunar surface after main engine failure during descent from lunar orbit phase. The impact made Israel the 8th country to impact the surface of the Moon.
124Chandrayaan-222 July 2019India ISROLVM3Chandrayaan-2 OrbiterOrbiterOperational
VikramLanderSpacecraft failure
PragyanRoverPrecluded
Entered orbit on 20 August 2019. Lander separated from orbiter but crashed during a landing attempt on 6 September 2019, attributed to a software glitch. Both lander and rover were lost. Orbiter remained operational.
125Chang'e 523 November 2020China CNSALong March 5Chang'e 5 OrbiterOrbiterOperational
Chang'e 5 LanderLanderSuccess
Chang'e 5 AscenderLaunch VehicleSuccess
Chang'e 5 ReturnerSample ReturnSuccess
First lunar sample return mission from China, which returned 1.731kg (61.1oz) of lunar samples on 16 December 2020. The orbiter received a mission extension and is currently in a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) of the Moon.
126CAPSTONE28 June 2022United States NASAElectronCAPSTONEOrbiterOperational
Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station.
127Danuri4 August 2022South Korea KARIFalcon 9DanuriOrbiterOperational
Lunar Orbiter by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) of South Korea. The orbiter, its science payload and ground control infrastructure are technology demonstrators. The orbiter will also be tasked with surveying lunar resources such as water ice, uranium, helium-3, silicon, and aluminium, and produce a topographic map to help select future lunar landing sites.
128Artemis I16 November 2022United States NASASLS Block 1Artemis I Orion MPCV CM-002OrbiterSuccess
LunaH-MapSpacecraft failure
Lunar IceCubeSpacecraft failure
CubeSat for Solar ParticlesFlybySpacecraft failure
Near-Earth Asteroid ScoutSpacecraft failure
BioSentinelSuccess
Japan JAXAOMOTENASHILanderSpacecraft failure
Italy ASIArgoMoonFlybysSuccess
Japan JAXAEQUULEUSSuccess
United States Lockheed MartinLunIRFlybySpacecraft failure
United States Fluid & ReasonTeam MilesSuccess
Uncrewed test of Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and lunar Distant retrograde orbit.
129Hakuto-R Mission 111 December 2022Japan ispaceFalcon 9 Block 5Hakuto-RLanderSpacecraft failure
Japan Tomy/JAXA/DodaiSORA-QRoverPrecluded
United Arab Emirates UAESA/MBRSCRashidPrecluded
United States NASALunar FlashlightOrbiterSpacecraft failure
Lunar lander technology demonstration. Contact lost during final stage of landing and deemed a failure. Cause of failure determined to be a software bug associated with the altitude estimation system. Emirates Lunar Mission Rashid was a small rover demonstration. The impact made the United Arab Emirates the 9th country to impact the surface of the Moon. Lunar Flashlight initially scheduled to be launched on the Artemis I mission, moved to a Falcon 9 Block 5 after not making it for the payload integration deadline. NASA announced later that it would not make its planned orbit or monthly flybys due to thruster issues.
130Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer14 April 2023ESAAriane 5 ECAJupiter Icy Moons ExplorerFlybySuccess
Flew by the Moon on 19 August 2024 en route to Jupiter.
131Chandrayaan-314 July 2023India ISROLVM3Propulsion ModuleOrbiterSuccess
VikramLanderSuccess
PragyanRoverSuccess
Launched on 14 July 2023, Orbit insertion on 5 August 2023, Lander separated from propulsion module on 17 August 2023, landed on 23 August 2023, 12:32 UTC and deployed the Pragyan rover. With its soft landing, India became the first country to successfully land near lunar south pole and fourth country to successfully land on the lunar surface. Later during extended operations, the Propulsion Module returned to Earth's orbit.
132Luna 2510 August 2023Russia RoscosmosSoyuz-2.1b/FregatLuna 25LanderSpacecraft failure
Launched on 10 August 2023, Orbital insertion on 16 August 2023, failed orbital maneuver on 19 August 2023 set the spacecraft on the crash course with the Moon's surface. Loss of communication was confirmed by Roscosmos on 20 August 2023.
133SLIM6 September 2023Japan JAXAH-IIASLIMLanderSuccess
LEV-1HopperSuccess
Japan Tomy / JAXA / Doshisha UniversityLEV-2 (Sora-Q)RoverSuccess
Launched alongside XRISM as a co-passenger on 7 September 2023. Performed lunar swing-by, followed by lunar orbital insertion on 25 December 2023. SLIM landed intact and within 100 m of its target on 19 January 2024, 15:20 UTC, which met JAXA's criteria for a successful landing. However, it had landed with incorrect attitude to orient solar panels towards the Sun, which led to temporary power loss until the Sun was in the right position. LEV-1 and LEV-2 were successfully deployed and landed separately from SLIM shortly before its own landing. LEV-1 conducted six hops on lunar surface. With its soft landing, Japan became the fifth country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
134Peregrine Mission One8 January 2024United States Astrobotic TechnologyVulcan Centaur VC2PeregrineLanderSpacecraft failure
Mexico UNAMColmena × 5RoversPrecluded
United States CMU⚀ IrisRoverPrecluded
Part of CLPS. Peregrine lander's reaction thrusters' leak deemed the spacecraft uncontrollable for landing and it decayed in the Earth's atmosphere 10 days later.
135IM-114 February 2024United States Intuitive MachinesFalcon 9 B5Nova-C OdysseusLanderSuccess
United States ERAUEagleCamDeployable cameraSpacecraft failure
First Nova-C mission. First private spacecraft to soft land on the Moon. Payloads successfully delivered for NASA CLPS and for private customers. Though it landed successfully, one of the lander's legs broke upon landing and it tilted up on other side, 18° due to landing on a slope, but the lander survived and payloads are functioning as expected. EagleCam was not ejected prior to landing. It was later ejected on 28 February but minimal data was obtained.
136DRO A/B13 March 2024China CASLong March 2CDRO-ARelay SatelliteOperational
DRO-BOperational
Yuanzheng 1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecraft into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit. Tracking data appears to show China is attempting to salvage spacecraft and they appear to have succeeded in reaching their desired orbit.
137Queqiao-220 March 2024China CNSALong March 8Queqiao-2Relay SatelliteOperational
China Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL, Tiandu Lab)Tiandu-1OrbiterOperational
Tiandu-2Operational
Relay satellite to support future missions of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program targeting south pole region. Tiandu satellites are launched with them to test communications for future lunar satellite constellation technologies.
138Chang'e 63 May 2024China CNSALong March 5Chang'e 6 OrbiterOrbiterSuccess
Chang'e 6 LanderLanderSuccess
Chang'e 6 AscenderLaunch VehicleSuccess
Chang'e 6 ReturnerSample ReturnSuccess
JinchanRoverSuccess
Pakistan SUPARCOICUBE-QOrbiterSuccess
First spacecraft to have collected lunar samples from the far side of the Moon (Apollo crater, South Pole–Aitken basin). ICUBE-Q is Pakistan's first lunar mission. Lander carries international payloads from ESA, France, Italy, and Sweden. It also carried a mini rover to conduct infrared spectroscopy of lunar surface. The orbiter went to Sun Earth L2 under mission extension.
139Blue Ghost M115 January 2025United States Firefly AerospaceFalcon 9 B5Blue Ghost LanderLanderSuccess
Lunar lander, carrying NASA-sponsored experiments and commercial payloads to Mare Crisium. First fully-successful private lunar landing.
140Hakuto-R Mission 215 January 2025JapanispaceFalcon 9 B5Hakuto-RLanderSpacecraft failure
Luxembourgispace EuropeTenaciousRoverPrecluded
Launched on the same rocket as Blue Ghost. On 5 June 2025, the lander failed to complete its landing, impacting the lunar surface.
141Lunar Trailblazer27 February 2025United States NASAFalcon 9 B5Lunar TrailblazerOrbiterSpacecraft failure
Lunar orbiter aimed to aid in the understanding of lunar water and the Moon's water cycle. Flyby on 3 March 2025.
142Brokkr-227 February 2025United States AstroForgeFalcon 9 B5Brokkr-2FlybySpacecraft failure
Asteroid probe intended to flyby the near-Earth asteroid 2022 OB5. Communication failure. Flyby on 3 March 2025.
143Chimera-127 February 2025United States Epic AerospaceFalcon 9 B5Chimera-1FlybySuccess
Space tug planned TLI to Geosynchronous. Communication failure?. Flyby on 3 March 2025.
144IM-227 February 2025United States Intuitive MachinesFalcon 9 B5Nova-CLanderPartial failure
μNovaHopperPrecluded
United States Lunar Outpost/Finland NokiaMAPPRoverPrecluded
United States MITAstroAntPrecluded
Japan DymonYaokiPrecluded
Second Nova-C. Payloads delivery for NASA's CLPS and for private customers. MAPP and μNova were to test a new Nokia lunar communication system. Lander achieved a soft landing on 6 March but landed on its side, precluding recharging and deployment of payloads. Mission concluded one day after landing.
145Artemis II1 April 2026United States NASASLS Block 1Orion CM-003FlybySuccess
Crewed test of the Orion spacecraft on a free-return trajectory around the Moon.

Statistics

Launches by decade

Launches to Moon
Decade
1950s13
1960s63
1970s23
1980s0
1990s7
2000s8
2010s10
2020s21

This is a list of 145 missions (including failed ones) to the Moon. It includes Flybys, Impact probes, orbiters, landers, rovers and crewed missions.

Mission milestones by country

This is a list of major milestones achieved by country. Recorded is the first spacecraft from each respective country to accomplish each milestone, regardless of mission type or intended outcome. For example, Beresheet was not intended to be an impactor, but achieved that milestone incidentally.

Legend

Attempted Milestone achieved Attempted Milestone not achieved First to achieve * Done in collaboration with another country

Country/ AgencyFlybyOrbitImpactSoft landingRoverSample returnCrewed Orbiting/FlybyCrewed landing
United States United StatesPioneer 4, 1959Lunar Orbiter 1, 1966Ranger 4, 1962Surveyor 1, 1966LRV (Apollo 15), 1971Apollo 11, 1969Apollo 8, 1968Apollo 11, 1969 †
Soviet Union Soviet UnionLuna 1, 1959Luna 10, 1966Luna 2, 1959Luna 9, 1966Lunokhod 1, 1970Luna 16, 1970
China ChinaChang'e 5-T1, 2014Chang'e 1, 2007Chang'e 1, 2009Chang'e 3, 2013Yutu, 2013Chang'e 5, 2020
India IndiaChandrayaan 3, 2023Chandrayaan 1, 2008MIP, 2008Chandrayaan 3, 2023Pragyan, 2023
Japan JapanHiten, 1990Hiten, 1993Hiten, 1993SLIM, 2024LEV-1, 2024
Israel IsraelBeresheet, 2019Beresheet, 2019Beresheet, 2019
Russia RussiaLuna 25, 2023Luna 25, 2023Luna 25, 2023
ESASMART-1, 2003SMART-1, 2006
Canada CanadaArtemis II, 2026*
Luxembourg Luxembourg4M, 20144M, 2022
South Korea South KoreaDanuri, 2022
Italy ItalyArgoMoon, 2022
United Arab Emirates UAERashid, 2023Rashid, 2023
Pakistan PakistanICUBE-Q, 2024
Mexico MexicoColmena, 2024

Missions by organization/company

Analysis of numbers of lunar missions
Country/AgencyAgency or companySuccessfulPartial failureFailureSuccess rateOperationalTotalTotal for country
Soviet Union USSRLavochkin1622240%4058
Energia21611.11%18
USANASA3721467.27%45557
USAF1150%2
ChinaCNSA10100%81010
JapanISAS2250%48
JAXA2166.6%14
IndiaISRO2166.6%233
Various member statesESA1100%11
LuxembourgLuxSpace1100%11
South Korea South KoreaKARI1100%111
USA (private company)Lockheed Martin1100%11
USA (private company)Fluid & Reason1100%11
USA (private company)Astrobotic Technology10%11
USA (private company)Intuitive Machines1150%22
USA (private university)ERAU10%11
USA (private company)Firefly Aerospace1100%11
Italy ItalyASI1100%11
IsraelSpaceIL10%11
Russia RussiaRoscosmos10%11
United Arab Emirates UAEUAESA10%11
Japan (private company)ispace10%11
PakistanIST / SUPARCO1100%111
CanadaCSA1100%-11

Landing sites

As of March 2025, there have been a total twenty eight successful soft landings on the Moon carried out by five countries that include China, India, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Among these, a total of six soft landings were crewed (Apollo); all crewed soft landings were conducted by the United States. All two soft landings on the far side of the Moon were carried out by China, while soft landing near the lunar south pole was carried out by India's Chandrayaan-3 and Intuitive Machines' IM-1 Nova-C Odysseus and IM-2 Nova-C Athena lander.

Future missions

There are several future lunar missions planned or proposed by various nations and organizations.

Funded and are under development

Robotic

MissionSpacecraftLaunch dateCarrier rocketOperatorMission type
Chang'e 7Chang'e 7 OrbiterAugust 2026Long March 5China CNSAOrbiter
Chang'e 7 LanderLander
Chang'e 7 RoverRover
Chang'e 7 HopperHopper
Payloads include an orbiter, south pole lander, rover, and a mini flying probe to look for the presence of water-ice.
Blue Ghost M2Blue Ghost landerNET December 2026Falcon 9 B5United States Firefly AerospaceLander
Elytra orbital vehicleOrbiter
Second mission of Firefly Aerospace, part of CLPS, includes 2 stage variant of blue ghost.
Lunar PathfinderLunar PathfinderNET December 2026Falcon 9 B5ESARelay satellite
Lunar communications satellite to support future lunar missions, along with Blue Ghost M2.
Griffin Mission 1Griffin landerNET late 2026Falcon HeavyUnited States Astrobotic TechnologyLander
IM-3Nova-CNET late 2026Falcon 9 B5United States Intuitive Machines
Khon2Relay satellite
CADRE x3United States NASARovers
Lunar VertexUnited States NASA, United States Lunar OutpostRover
Third Nova-C. Payloads delivery for NASA's CLPS and for private customers. Lunar Vertex mission.
Astrobotic mission 3TBA2026Falcon HeavyUnited States AstroboticLander
LunaGrid-Lite CubeRoverRover
Lunaris PlatformDeployable platform
Third lunar mission by Astrobotic, will land at lunar south pole. LunaGrid-Lite mission.
Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1Blue MoonNET Q1 2027New GlennUnited States Blue OriginLander
First mission for the Blue Moon lander platform developed by Blue Origin and will prove the viability of the platform and BE-7 engine. It has a cargo capacity of up to 3000kg.
Starship Demo missionStarship HLSMarch 2027StarshipUnited States SpaceXLander
Uncrewed demo mission of Starship HLS.
Starship cargo missionStarship HLSTBDStarshipUnited States SpaceXLander
First SpaceX lunar cargo mission, yet to be announced by SpaceX itself.
FLEXFLEXTBDStarshipUnited States AstrolabRover
Large Lunar rover, can accommodate cargo and 2 astronauts.
ZeusXZeusX service moduleQ4 2027TBDSingapore QosmosysOrbiter
ZeusX lunar landerLander
LIBERRover
First lunar landing attempt for Singapore, lander can carry up to 800kg to lunar surface.
Mission 2.5Argo OTV2027TBDUnited States Argo SpaceTransfer vehicle
AlpineUnited States ispace-U.S.Relay satellite
ispace Mission 2.5. First satellite for ispace's Lunar Connect Service.
Chandrayaan-4Chandrayaan-42027–2028LVM3India ISROLander
Chang'e 8Chang'e 8 Orbiter2028Long March 5China CNSAOrbiter
Chang'e 8 LanderLander
Chang'e 8 RoverRover
Chang'e 8 RobotHopper
South pole lander. Testing technology for using local resources and manufacturing with 3D printing.
Mission 3ULTRA2028TBDJapan ispaceLander
LupineUnited States ispace-U.S.Relay satellite
ispace Mission 3. First flight of ispace's ULTRA lunar lander.
TBD (Lunar Rover)South pole Rover2028Long March 5Pakistan SUPARCORover
Pakistans first Lunar Rover that will be launched aboard the Chang'e 8 mission as a part of the wider ILRS program.
Uncrewed Blue Moon Demo missionBlue Moon HLS2028New GlennUnited States Blue OriginLander
Cislunar TransporterUnited States Lockheed MartinTransfer vehicle
Demo mission of Blue Moon lander system in preparation for crewed landing in 2029.
Artemis IV Starship HLS deliveryStarship HLS2028StarshipUnited States SpaceXLander
Delivery of Starship HLS for Artemis IV mission.
Artemis V Blue Moon HLS deliveryBlue Moon HLS2028New GlennUnited States Blue OriginLander
Cislunar TransporterUnited States Lockheed MartinTransfer vehicle
Delivery of Blue Moon HLS for Artemis V mission.
Luna 26Luna 262028-2029Soyuz-2.1b / FregatRussia RoscosmosOrbiter
Orbiter, part of the Luna-Glob programme. Will scout for Luna 27 landing site.
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)LUPEX lander2028–2029H3India ISROLander
LUPEX roverJapan JAXARover
Canadian lunar rover missionCanadensys Lunar Rover2029TBDCanada Canadensys, Canada CSA
First Canadian lunar rover. Will fly as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative with Blue Ghost 4.
Mission 4ULTRA2029TBDESA Japan ispaceLander
Lunar Orbiting Satellite 3 & 4United States ispace-U.S.Relay satellites
ispace Mission 4. ESA Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration (MAGPIE).
Luna 27Luna 27A and Luna 27B2029–2030Angara A5 / FregatRussia RoscosmosLander
Landers, part of the Luna-Glob programme.
TBD (CLPS Lander)Moon to Mars Initiative: Trailblazer (Roo-ver)2029–2030TBDAustralia Australian Space AgencyRover
Mission 5ULTRA2030Falcon 9 B5United States ispace-U.S. United States DraperLander
Lunar Orbiting Satellite 5United States ispace-U.S.Relay satellite
ispace Mission 5. CLPS CP-12.
Argonaut M1Argonaut Lander2031Ariane 64ESALander
Robotic Lander system. Will act as resupply vehicle for future Moonbase.
KLEPKLLR LanderNET 2032KSLV-IIISouth Korea KARILander
KLLR RoverRover
Second mission of the Korean Lunar Exploration Program.
Lunar Voyage 3MappTBATBAUnited States Lunar OutpostRover
First fully commercial mission of Lunar Outpost MAPP program.

Crewed

Agency or companyNameSpacecraftLaunch dateLaunch vehicleNotes
United States NASAArtemis IVOrion, Starship HLSH1 2028SLS Block 1 StarshipFirst Artemis crewed lunar landing.
Artemis VOrion, Blue Moon HLSLate 2028SLS Block 1 New GlennCrewed surface expedition.
China CMSAChinese crewed lunar missionMengzhou, Lanyue~2030Long March 10Two launches of LM-10 to put a pair of astronauts on the Moon for a 6-hour stay.

Proposed but full funding still unclear

Robotic and crewed

The following missions have been proposed but their full funding is unclear:

Agency or companyMissionName of spacecraftProposed launchNotes
Canada GECDoge-1September 202612U CubeSat, the mission is being paid for entirely with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. First Canadian lunar mission.
Israel SpaceILBeresheet 2OrbiterTBDOne orbiter, two landers.
Lander 1
Lander 2
Brazil AirvantisGaratéa-LTBDProposed lunar CubeSat, Partnership between UKSA and ESA.
Germany OHB Israel IAILSAS landerTBDProposed commercial lander, will rideshare with a Geostationary satellite.
United States ParsecParsec lunar satellites2026Parsec lunar communication constellation.
Turkey Turkish Space AgencyAYAP-1Turkey will perform a hard landing on the Moon.
ESALunar Meteoroid Impact Observer2027Proposed CubeSat to observe asteroid impacts on Far side of Moon.
Netherlands Delft University of TechnologyLunar zebroNET 2028Small swarming rover, radiation measurements
Turkey Turkish Space AgencyAYAP-2Lander2028Soft landing mission
Rover
Russia RoscosmosZeus2030Nuclear Propelled Space Tug, might deliver payloads to the Moon
China CNSA Russia RoscosmosInternational Lunar Research Station (ILRS 1–5)2031–20355 crucial missions planned for comprehensive establishment of ILRS to complete the in-orbit and surface facilities.
Russia RoscosmosLuna 292032Orbiter, part of the Luna-Glob program.
Luna 282034Proposed sample-return mission, part of the Luna-Glob program. May include a small rover.
Luna 302036Lander, part of the Luna-Glob program. Will include Luna-Grunt rovers.
India ISROIndian Lunar Crewed Mission~2040National effort to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon using India's own rocket and technology
United States NASABOLASTBD2 tethered CubeSats on a very low lunar orbit.
Canada Magellan AerospaceAutonomous Impactor for Lunar ExplorationImpactor for LEAP
United States NASALunar Crater Radio TelescopeRadio telescope made by 4 rovers
United States LiftPort GroupLunar space elevatorOctober 2028Creating a reusable, replaceable and expandable Lunar elevator to open up the resources present on the Moon
Czech Republic ESC AerospaceLVICE²2027Measuring the concentration of micrometeorites

Lunar rovers

MissionRoverCountry/AgencyDate of landingCoordinatesOperational timeDistance travelledOutcome
Luna E-8 No.201LunokhodSoviet Union Lavochkin19 February 1969N/A0 days0 kmLaunch failure
First launch of the Lunokhod rover. Launch vehicle disintegrated 51 seconds after launch and exploded.
Luna 17Lunokhod 1Soviet Union USSR17 November 1970322 days10.5km (6.5mi)Successful
First rover on an extraterrestrial body.
Luna 21Lunokhod 2Soviet Union USSR15 January 1973117 days39km (24mi)Successful
Farthest distance traveled on the Moon.
Chang'e 3YutuChina CNSA14 December 201342 days (mobile) 973 days (total)114.8m (377ft)Successful
First Chinese extraterrestrial rover and first lunar rover in over 40 years.
Chang'e 4Yutu-2China CNSA3 January 20192765days1.455km (0.904mi) as of 3January2023[update]Operational
First rover on the far side of the Moon. Longest fully functioning rover on the Moon.
Chandrayaan-2PragyanIndia ISRO6 September 20190 days0kmPrecluded
Lost when Vikram lander crash landed on the Moon.
Hakuto-R Mission 1RashidUnited Arab Emirates MBRSCApril 20230 days0kmPrecluded
Sora-QJapan Tomy/JAXA/Doshisha UniversityApril 2023Precluded
Contact lost during final descent of the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander. Presumed crash landing and failure.
Chandrayaan-3PragyanIndia ISRO23 August 202312 days101.4m (333ft) as of 2September2023[update]Successful
First rover to successfully operate near lunar south pole.
SLIMLEV-1Japan JAXA19 January 20241hour and 51minutesSuccessful
LEV-2 (Sora-Q)Successful
A hopper and a rover included in the SLIM mission which demonstrated precision landing technology.
Peregrine Mission OneIrisUnited States CMU2024N/A0 days0kmPrecluded
Colmena x5Mexico UNAMPrecluded
Colmena would have been deployed using a small catapult mechanism. Mission cancelled along with the cancelled landing of Peregrine lander due to excessive propellant leak.
Chang'e 6JinchanChina CNSA1 June 20244 daysSuccess
Conduct infrared spectroscopy of lunar surface and imaged Chang'e 6 lander on lunar surface.
IM-2MAPP LV1United States Lunar Outpost6 March 20250 days0kmPrecluded
AstroAntUnited States MITPrecluded
Micro-NovaUnited States Intuitive MachinesPrecluded
YaokiJapan DymonPrecluded
MAPP and Micro-Nova would have demonstrated a new lunar communication system. IM-2 landed on 6 March 2025. The spacecraft was intact after touchdown but resting on its side, thereby complicating its planned science and technology demonstration mission; this outcome is similar to what occurred with the company's IM-1 Odysseus spacecraft in 2024.
Hakuto-R Mission 2TenaciousLuxembourg ispace EuropeJune 20250 days0kmPrecluded
Hakuto-R Mission 2 featured a rover for surface exploration and data collection. Contact lost during final descent of the Hakuto-R Mission 2 lander. Presumed crash landing and failure.
Griffin-1CubeRover-1United States Astrobotic2026TBDPlanned
FLIPUnited States AstrolabPlanned
IM-3Lunar VertexUnited StatesNASA2026TBDPlanned
CADRE x4United StatesNASAPlanned
Mission to study Reiner Gamma.
Chang’e 7Chang’e 7 roverChina CNSA2026TBDPlanned
Chang’e 7 hopperPlanned
Will search for water ice in and around craters in the south pole of the Moon.
Starship lunar cargo missionFLEXUnited States AstrolabTBDTBDPlanned
Astrolab contracted with SpaceX to send their rover to the Moon aboard Starship
Griffin-2LunaGrid-Lite CubeRoverUnited States Astrobotic2027TBDPlanned
Third lunar mission by Astrobotic, will land at lunar south pole. LunaGrid-Lite mission.
LUPEXLUPEX RoverJapan JAXA India ISRO2028TBDPlanned
Joint mission between ISRO and JAXA.
Chang’e 8Chang’e 8 roverChina CNSA2028TBDPlanned
Chang’e 8 RobotPlanned
Chinese ISRU mission in preparation for ILRS.
TBD (Lunar Rover)South Pole RoverPakistan SUPARCO2028TBDPlanned
Pakistan's first Lunar rover that will be launched aboard the Chang'e 8 mission. The mission is part of the wider ILRS program.
IM-5Roo-verAustralia ASA2030Mons Malapert~14 DaysTBDPlanned
Australia's first Lunar Rover,
KLEPKLLR RoverSouth Korea KARI2032TBDPlanned
Second mission of the Korean Lunar Exploration Program.
PROMISEPROMISEUnited States NASAlate 2028TBDProposed
Twin engineering model of the Mars rover Perseverance.

Unrealized concepts

1960s

1970s

  • Canceled Apollo missions – The Apollo program had three more missions lined up until Apollo 20, but the missions beyond Apollo 17, the sixth and final landing mission, were cancelled due to budget constraints, change in technical direction and hardware delays. The ambitions shifted towards developing next generation rockets like Space Shuttle, the space station Skylab and in exploration programs such as Grand Tour program.

2000s

2010s

  • Resource Prospector – Concept by NASA of a rover that would have performed a survey expedition on a polar region of the Moon. It was cancelled in April 2018.
  • Indo-Russian joint mission – A joint mission between India and Russia for a robotic lander and rover was under development since 2007. Russia was supposed to develop the lander while India would develop an orbiter, a rover and launch the composite. However, with failure of Fobos-Grunt mission, Russia was unable to provide the lander in time and requested India to accept the delay and risk. The collaboration ended with India repurposing its orbiter towards Mars with its Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013. India would later go on to develop and launch its Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 mission, using an indigenously developed lander.

2020s

  • DearMoon was an unrealized tourist mission financed by Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. Maezawa and six to eight other civilians would have performed a lunar flyby in a SpaceX Starship. It was cancelled on June 1, 2024.

See also

Notes

External links