Completed
Luna 2
Soviet space programme · Impactor · 1959-09-12
The first human-made object to reach the Moon, Luna 2 deliberately impacted the lunar surface and demonstrated that spacecraft could successfully navigate from Earth to the Moon.
Mission directory
Lunar missions
Explore major missions that changed what we know about the Moon or demonstrated important exploration capabilities. Use the timeline for historical sequence, the active dashboard for current operations, the instrument reference for evidence, and the landing-site explorer for geography.
Lunar exploration timelineFollow major missions chronologically from the first impacts and soft landings through Apollo, global mapping and commercial delivery.Active lunar missionsSee missions whose current operational status has been recently verified against a primary mission-agency source.Mission instrument referenceSee how cameras, spectrometers, radar, altimeters and other sensors produce the evidence behind mission results.Lunar landing sitesCompare major landing regions, coordinates, mission types and exploration significance.
Completed
Luna 9
Soviet space programme · Lander · 1966-01-31
Luna 9 achieved the first successful soft landing on the Moon and transmitted panoramic images from the surface.
Completed
Surveyor 1
NASA · Lander · 1966-05-30
Surveyor 1 was the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon, returning thousands of images and engineering data from Oceanus Procellarum.
Completed
Apollo 11
NASA · Crewed landing · 1969-07-16
Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on the first mission to land people on the Moon and return them safely to Earth.
Completed
Apollo 15
NASA · Crewed landing · 1971-07-26
Apollo 15 was the first J-class Apollo mission, designed for longer surface stays, greater scientific capability and extensive geological exploration.
Completed
Apollo 17
NASA · Crewed landing · 1972-12-07
Apollo 17 was the final Apollo lunar landing and carried geologist Harrison Schmitt alongside commander Eugene Cernan to Taurus-Littrow.
Completed
Clementine
BMDO / NASA · Orbiter · 1994-01-25
Clementine mapped the Moon in multiple wavelengths and demonstrated lightweight spacecraft technologies.
Completed
Lunar Prospector
NASA · Orbiter · 1998-01-07
Lunar Prospector conducted a low-cost global survey of lunar composition, gravity and magnetic fields.
Completed
SMART-1
ESA · Orbiter · 2003-09-27
SMART-1 was ESA's first Moon mission and demonstrated solar-electric propulsion while conducting lunar science.
Completed
Kaguya (SELENE)
JAXA · Orbiter · 2007-09-14
Kaguya was a comprehensive Japanese lunar orbiter carrying a large suite of instruments and two small relay satellites.
Completed
Chandrayaan-1
ISRO · Orbiter · 2008-10-22
India's first lunar mission carried Indian and international instruments to map mineralogy, chemistry and topography.
Active
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA · Orbiter · 2009-06-18
LRO is a long-running lunar orbiter mapping the Moon at high resolution and measuring topography, temperature, illumination, radiation and surface composition.
Completed
LCROSS
NASA · Impactor · 2009-06-18
LCROSS deliberately impacted a permanently shadowed region near the lunar south pole and observed the resulting debris plume.
Completed
GRAIL
NASA · Orbiter pair · 2011-09-10
The twin GRAIL spacecraft mapped variations in the Moon's gravity field with exceptional precision.
Completed
Chang'e 3
CNSA · Lander and rover · 2013-12-01
Chang'e 3 delivered the Yutu rover to Mare Imbrium and achieved China's first soft landing on another world.
Active
Chang'e 4
CNSA · Lander and rover · 2018-12-07
Chang'e 4 achieved the first soft landing on the Moon's far side, operating in Von Kármán crater with the Yutu-2 rover.
Active Orbiter
Chandrayaan-2
ISRO · Orbiter / lander / rover · 2019-07-22
Chandrayaan-2 combined an orbiter with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. The landing attempt was unsuccessful, while the orbiter continued lunar science.
Completed
Chang'e 5
CNSA · Sample return · 2020-11-23
Chang'e 5 collected and returned young lunar material from Oceanus Procellarum to Earth.
Active
Danuri (KPLO)
KARI · Orbiter · 2022-08-04
Danuri is South Korea's first lunar mission, operating in lunar orbit with instruments from KARI and international partners.
Completed Surface
Chandrayaan-3
ISRO · Lander and rover · 2023-07-14
Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed the Vikram lander in the high southern lunar latitudes and deployed the Pragyan rover.
Completed
SLIM
JAXA · Lander · 2023-09-06
SLIM demonstrated high-precision lunar landing technology near Shioli crater.
Completed
IM-1 Odysseus
Intuitive Machines / NASA CLPS · Commercial lander · 2024-02-15
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus delivered NASA and commercial payloads to the lunar south polar region under the CLPS initiative.
Completed
Blue Ghost Mission 1
Firefly Aerospace / NASA CLPS · Commercial lander · 2025-01-15
Blue Ghost Mission 1 delivered NASA science and technology payloads to Mare Crisium and operated through a full planned surface mission.