Moon Missions

Here are the major missions launched to the Moon. In addition to these missions, there have been CubeSats, small satellites that tend to launch as additional payloads with larger spacecraft.

Key to tables: All times are in UTC. Unless otherwise indicated, missions were launched by the space agencies of the indicated nation's government.

1950s: Dawn of the Space Age

DR. VON BRAUN LOOKING AT PAYLOAD OF JUNO II AM-14, PIONEER IV SATELLITE. MARCH 1, 1959 REF: MFL-59-293.1 (MIX FILE)
NASA
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Outcome
USA
Aug. 17, 1958
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Sept. 23, 1958
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
USA
Oct. 11, 1958
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Oct. 11, 1958
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
USA
Nov. 8, 1958
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Dec. 4, 1958
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
USA
Dec. 7, 1958
N/A
Flyby
Unsuccessful
Luna 1
USSR
Jan. 2, 1959
Jan. 4, 1959
Impact
Partial Success; first Moon flyby
USA
March 3, 1959
Mar. 4., 1959
Flyby
Partial Success
Unnamed Luna
USSR
June 18, 1959
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
Luna 2
USSR
Sept. 12, 1959
Sept. 13, 1959
Impact
Successful; first spacecraft to impact the Moon's surface
Pioneer P-1
USA
Sept. 24, 1959
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
Luna 3
USSR
Oct. 4, 1959
Oct. 6, 1959
Flyby
Successful; first pictures of the lunar farside.
USA
Nov. 26, 1959
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful

1960s: Race to the Moon

Astronaut and robotic spacecraft on the Moon.
The Apollo 12 astronauts examined the Surveyor 3 spacecraft during their second extravehicular activity (EVA) on the Moon on Nov. 20, 1969. Robotic Surveyor spacecraft pioneered the technology that enabled Apollo astronauts to reach the moon.
NASA
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Outcome
Unnamed Luna
USSR
April 15, 1960
N/A
Flyby
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
April 16, 1960
N/A
Flyby
Unsuccessful
USA
Sep. 25, 1960
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
USA
Dec. 15. 1960
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
Ranger 3
USA
Jan. 26, 1962
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
Ranger 4
USA
April 26, 1962
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
Ranger 5
USA
Oct. 21, 1962
N/A
Impact
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Jan. 4, 1963
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Feb. 3, 1963
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Luna 4
USSR
April 2, 1963
April 6, 1963
Lander
Unsuccessful; flew past Moon.
Ranger 6
USA
Jan. 30, 1964
Feb. 2, 1965
Impact
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
March 21, 1964
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
April 20, 1964
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Ranger 7
USA
July 28, 1964
July 31, 1964
Impact
Ranger 8
USA
Feb. 17, 1965
Feb. 20, 1965
Impact
Successful
Kosmos 60
USSR
March 12, 1965
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Ranger 9
USA
March 21, 1965
March 24, 1965
Impact
Successful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
April 10, 1965
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Luna 5
USSR
May 9, 1965
May 12, 1965
Lander
Unsuccessful; impacted Moon
Luna 6
USSR
June 8, 1965
June 11, 1965
Lander
Unsuccessful; flyby
Zond 3
USSR
July 18, 1965
July 20, 1965
Flyby
Successful
Luna 7
USSR
Oct. 4, 1965
Oct. 7, 1965
Lander
Unsuccessful; impacted Moon
Luna 8
USSR
Dec. 3, 1965
Dec. 6, 1965
Lander
Unsuccessful; impacted Moon
Luna 9
USSR
Jan. 31, 1966
Feb. 3, 1966
Lander
Successful; first lunar soft landing and first picture from the lunar surface
Kosmos 111
USSR
March 1, 1966
N/A
Orbiter
Unsuccessful
Luna 10
USSR
March 31, 1966
April 3, 1966
Orbiter
Successful; first lunar orbiter
Surveyor 1
USA
May 30, 1966
June 2, 1966
Lander
Successful; first U.S. Moon landing and first U.S. photo from the lunar surface.
USA
Aug. 10, 1966
Aug. 14, 1966
Orbiter
Successful
Luna 11
USSR
Aug. 24, 1966
Aug. 27, 1966
Orbiter
Successful
Surveyor 2
USA
Sept. 20, 1966
Sept. 23, 1966
Lander
Unsuccessful; impacted Moon
Luna 12
USSR
Oct. 22, 1966
Oct. 25, 1966
Orbiter
Successful
USA
Nov. 6, 1966
Nov. 10, 1966
Orbiter
Successful
Luna 13
USSR
Dec. 21, 1966
Dec. 24, 1966
Lander
Successful
USA
Feb. 5, 1967
Feb. 8, 1967
Orbiter
Partial success; camera failure
Surveyor 3
USA
April 17, 1967
April 20, 1967
Lander
USA
May 4, 1967
May 8, 1967
Orbiter
Partial success; camera failure
Surveyor 4
USA
July 14, 1967
July 17, 1967
Lander
Unsuccessful
USA
Aug. 1, 1967
Aug. 5, 1967
Orbiter
Successful
Surveyor 5
USA
Sept. 8, 1967
Sept. 11, 1967
Lander
Successful
Surveyor 6
USA
Nov. 7, 1967
Nov. 10, 1967
Lander
Successful
Surveyor 7
USA
Jan. 7, 1968
Jan. 10, 1968
Lander
Successful
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Feb. 7, 1968
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful
Luna 14
USSR
April 7, 1968
April 10, 1968
Orbiter
Successful
Zond 5
USSR
Sept. 15, 1968
Sept. 18, 1968
Flyby
Successful; first living creatures to fly past the Moon
Zond 6
USSR
Nov. 10, 1968
Nov. 14, 1968
Flyby
Partial success; animal cargo lost on landing.
USA
Dec. 21, 1968
Dec. 24, 1968
Orbiter
Success; first humans to orbit the Moon
Unnamed Luna
USSR
Feb. 19, 1969
N/A
Rover
Unsuccessful; first attempted Moon rover
USA
May 18, 1969
May 21, 1969
Orbiter
Successful; lander test in lunar orbit
Unnamed Luna
USSR
June 14, 1969
N/A
Sample Return
Unsuccessful
Luna 15
USSR
July 13, 1969
July 18, 1969
Orbiter/Sample Return
Partial success; orbiter successful, sample return crashed on the Moon
USA
July 16, 1969
July 20, 1969
Orbiter/Sample Return
Successful; first humans to land on the Moon
Zond 7
USSR
Aug. 7, 1969
Aug. 11, 1969
Flyby
Successful
Kosmos 300
USSR
Sept. 23, 1969
N/A
Sample Return
Unsuccessful
Kosmos 305
USSR
Oct. 22, 1969
N/A
Sample Return
Unsuccessful
USA
Nov. 14, 1969
Nov. 17,1969
Orbiter/Sample Return

1970s: Sampling the Moon

An astronaut in a white spacesuit stands with his shovel poised above the lunar surface.
AS17-134-20425 (11 Dec. 1972) --- Scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot, collects lunar rake samples at Station 1 during the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. This picture was taken by astronaut Eugene Cernan, commander. The lunar rake, an Apollo lunar geology hand tool, is used to collect discrete samples of rocks and rock chips ranging in size from one-half inch (1.3 centimeter) to one inch (2.5 centimeter).
NASA
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Outcome
USA
4/11/1970
4/15/1970
Orbiter/Sample Return
Unsuccessful; crew returned safely to Earth.
Unnamed Luna
USSR
2/6/1970
N/A
Sample Return
Unsuccessful
Luna 16
USSR
9/12/1970
9/20/1970
Sample Return
Successful; first robotic sample return from beyond Earth.
Zond 8
USSR
10/20/1970
10/24/1970
Flyby
Successful
Luna 17
USSR
11/10/1970
11/17/1970
Lander
Successful; delivered Lunokhod 1 rover to the surface of the Moon
Lunokhod 1
USSR
11/10/1970
11/17/1970
Rover
Successful; first robotic rover to explore the surface of a world beyond Earth
USA
1/31/1971
2/4/1971
Orbiter/Sample Return
Successful
USA
7/26/1971
7/29/1971
Orbiter/Sample Return
Successful
USA
7/26/1971
8/4/1971
Orbiter
Successful; deployed in lunar orbit by Apollo 15 crew
Luna 18
USSR
9/2/1971
9/11/1971
Sample Return
Unsuccessful
Luna 19
USSR
9/28/1971
10/3/1971
Orbiter
Successful
Luna 20
USSR
2/14/1972
2/21/1972
Orbiter/Sample Return
Successful
USA
4/16/1972
4/19/1972
Orbiter/Sample Return
Successful
USA
4/16/1972
4/24/1972
Orbiter
Partial Success; orbit decayed prematurely
USA
12/7/1972
12/10/1972
Orbiter/Sample Return
Successful; first scientist on the Moon and final Apollo mission
Luna 21
USSR
1/8/1973
1/15/1973
Orbiter
Successful; delivered Lunokhod 2 rover to the surface of the Moon
Lunokhod 2
USSR
1/8/1973
1/15/1973
Rover
Successful; longest-lived rover on the Moon, drove 24 miles (39 kilometers)
Luna 22
USSR
5/29/1974
6/2/1974
Orbiter
Successful
Luna 23
USSR
10/28/1974
11/6/1974
Sample Return
Partial Success
Luna 24
USSR
8/9/1976
8/18/1976
Sample Return
Successful

1980s: Quiet Moon

No lunar missions were launched in this decade.

1990s: Robots Return

Image of the earth and moon taken from Clementine
The Moon and Earth as seen across the lunar North Pole, taken by the Clementine spacecraft. The large crater in the foreground is Plaskett crater. 
NASA/JPL/USGS
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Outcome
Hiten
Japan
1/24/1990
3/19/1990
Orbiter/Impact
Successful; first Japanese Moon mission
USA
1/25/1994
2/19/1994
Orbiter
Successful
USA
1/7/1998
1//11/1998
Orbiter/Impact
Successful

2000s: International Moon

In 2011, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured a dramatic sunrise view of Tycho crater. A very popular target with amateur astronomers, Tycho is located at 43.37°S, 348.68°E, and is about 51 miles (82 km) in diameter. The summit of the central peak is 1.24 miles (2 km) above the crater floor. The distance from Tycho's floor to its rim is abut 2.92 miles (4.7 km). Tycho crater's central peak complex, shown here, is about 9.3 miles (15 km) wide, left to right (southeast to northwest in this view).
NASA/GSFC/ASU
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Outcome
SMART-1
Europe
9/27/2003
11/15/2004
Orbiter/Impact
Successful; first European Moon mission
SELENE (Kaguya)
Japan
9/14/2007
10/3/2007
Orbiter/Impact
Successful
Chang'e 1
China
10/24/2007
11/5/2007
Orbiter/impactor
Successful; first Chinese Moon mission
Chandrayaan-1
India
10/22/2008
11/12/2008
Orbiter
Successful
USA
6/18/2009
6/23/2009
Orbiter
(Active Mission) Successful; extended mission in progress
USA
6/18/2009
10/9/2009
Impact
Successful; impact of LRO upper stages

2010s: Delving Deeper

Gravity map of the moon
This image shows the variations in the lunar gravity field as measured by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) during the primary mapping mission from March to May 2012. Very precise microwave measurements between two spacecraft, named Ebb and Flow, were used to map gravity with high precision and high spatial resolution.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MIT/GSFC
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Outcome
Chang'e 2
China
10/1/2010
10/5/2010
Orbiter
Successful
USA
2010
2011
Orbiters
(Active Mission) Successful; twin spacecraft on an extended lunar mission after successful Earth observations
USA
9/10/2011
1/1/2012
Orbiters
Successful; twin spacecraft
USA
9/7/2013
10/6/2013
Orbiter
Successful
Chang'e 3
China
12/6/2013
12/14/2013
Lander
(Active Mission) Successful; delivered Yutu rover to lunar surface
Yutu
China
12/6/2013
12/14/2013
Rover
Successful; first non-Soviet rover on the Moon
Chang'e 5-Test Vehicle
China
10/23/2014
10/27/2014
Flyby
Successful
Queqiao
China
5/20/2018
Orbiter
Successful; lunar relay satellite
Chang'e 4 and Yutu 2
China
12/7/2018
01/03/2019
Lander, Rover
Successful; first lunar farside landing
Israel (SpaceIL & Israel Aerospace Industries)
2/22/2019
4/11/2019
Lander
Unsuccessful; first lunar landing attempt by a private company

Chandrayaan-2
India
7/22/2019
N/A
Orbiter
Successful

2020s: Back to the Surface

Moon rising behind a huge NASA rocket
The Moon rises behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard atop a mobile launcher after it rolled out to Launch Complex 39B for the first time on March 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. - More about this image
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Name
Nation
Launch
Arrival
Type
Results
Chang'e 5
China
11/23/2020
12/1/2020
Sample Return
Successful
Danuri (Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter)
South Korea
8/04/2022
12/16/2022
Orbiter
Successful
USA
11/16/2022
11/21/2022
Flyby
Successful; first flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule
Hakuto-R Mission 1
Japan (ispace)
12/11/2022
3/21/2023
Lander
Unsuccessful
Emirates Lunar Mission
United Arab Emirates
12/11/2022
3/21/2023
Rover
Unsuccessful
Chandrayaan-3
India
07/14/2023
08/23/2023
Lander and Rover
Successful; First spacecraft to soft land near the lunar South Pole.
Luna 25
Russia
08/10/2023
08/19/2023
Lander
Unsuccessful
SLIM
Japan
09/06/2023
12/25/2023
Lander and Rover
Soft landing, but with limited use of solar panels.
Peregrine Mission 1
USA (Astrobotic)
01/08/2024
N/A
Lander
Unsuccessful; First launch under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program
IM-1
USA (Intuitive Machines)
02/15/2024
02/22/2024
Lander
First commercial soft lunar landing. The lander tipped over interfering with communications.
Chang'e 6
China
05/03/2024
06/01/2024
Sample Return Mission
Successful. First sample return from the lunar far side.