List of missions to the Moon explained

Missions to the Moon have been numerous and include some of the earliest space missions, conducting exploration of the Moon since 1959.

The first partially successful lunar mission was Luna 1 (January 1959), the first probe to leave Earth and fly past another astronomical body. Soon after that the first Moon landing and the first landing on any extraterrestrial body was performed by Luna 2,[1] which intentionally impacted the Moon on 14 September 1959. The far side of the Moon, which is always facing away from Earth due to tidal locking, was seen for the first time by Luna 3 in (7 October 1959). In 1966, Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to achieve a controlled soft landing,[2] while Luna 10 became the first mission to enter orbit, and in 1968 Zond 5 became the first mission to carry terrestrial lifeforms (tortoises) to close proximity of the Moon through a circumlunar approach.

The first crewed missions to the Moon were pursued by the Soviet Union and the United States, becoming the climax of the Space Race. While the Soviet Union shifted to robotic sample return missions, the American Apollo program proceeded successfully, with Apollo 8 becoming the first crewed mission to enter lunar orbit in December 1968. On 20 July 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon. At the same time another mission, the robotic sample return mission Luna 15 by the Soviet Union, was in orbit around the Moon, becoming together with Apollo 11 the first ever case of two extraterrestrial missions being conducted at the same time. Until 1972 crewed Apollo missions and until 1976 Soviet uncrewed sample return missions, with the first ever successful extraterrestrial rovers (Lunokhod programme), continued. After that no dedicated lunar missions were conducted until 1990. Since then the following nations and organisations (in chronological order) have visited the Moon, after the Soviet Union and the United States: Japan, the European Space Agency, China, India, Luxembourg, Israel, Italy, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Mexico. In 2018 the far side of the Moon was for the first time landed on by the Chang'e 4 mission at the South Pole–Aitken basin on 3 January 2019 and deployed the Yutu-2 rover. Five years later, China followed with Chang'e 6 sample return mission to the far side whose lander successfully landed in Apollo crater on 1 June 2024 and collected lunar samples.

The Moon has also been visited by five spacecraft not dedicated to studying it; four of these spacecraft have flown past for the purpose of gravity assistance, and a radio telescope, Explorer 49, was placed into selenocentric orbit in order to use the Moon to block interference from terrestrial radio sources.

20th century

Legend⚀ Cubesat or similarColour key:
– Successful – Failed
– Partially successful
Mission!Spacecraft!Launch date!Carrier rocket!Operator!Mission type!Outcome
1Pioneer 0(Able I)[3] Pioneer 0Thor DM-18 Able I USAFOrbiter
First attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; failed to orbit due to turbopump gearbox malfunction resulting in first-stage explosion. Reached apogee of 16km (10miles).[4]
2Luna E-1 No.1Luna E-1 No.1Luna OKB-1Impactor
Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated due to excessive vibration.[5]
3Pioneer 1(Able II)Pioneer 1Thor DM-18 Able I NASAOrbiter
Failed to orbit; premature second-stage cutoff due to accelerometer failure. Later known as Pioneer 1. Reached apogee of .[6]
4Luna E-1 No.2Luna E-1 No.2Luna OKB-1Impactor
Failed to orbit; carrier rocket exploded due to excessive vibration.
5Pioneer 2(Able III)Pioneer 2Thor DM-18 Able I NASAOrbiter
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 .[7]
6Luna E-1 No.3Luna E-1 No.3Luna OKB-1Impactor
Failed to orbit; seal failure in hydrogen peroxide pump cooling system resulted in core-stage underperformance.
7Pioneer 3Pioneer 3Juno II NASAFlyby
Failed to orbit; premature first-stage cutoff. Reached apogee of .[8]
8Luna 1(E-1 No.4)Luna 1Luna OKB-1Impactor
Carrier rocket guidance problem resulted in failure to impact Moon, flew past in a heliocentric orbit.[9] Closest approach on 4 January.[10] First spacecraft to fly by the Moon.
9Pioneer 4Pioneer 4Juno II NASAFlyby
Second-stage overperformance resulted in flyby at greater altitude than expected, out of instrument range, with of distance. Closest approach at 22:25 UTC on 4 March. First U.S. spacecraft to leave Earth orbit.[11]
10E-1A No.1E-1A No.1Luna OKB-1Impactor
Failed to orbit; guidance system malfunction.
11Luna 2(E-1A No.2)Luna 2Luna OKB-1Impactor
Successful impact at 21:02 on 14 September 1959. First spacecraft to impact the lunar surface.[12] This made the Soviet Union the 1st country to impact the surface of the Moon.
12Luna 3(E-2A No.1)Luna 3Luna OKB-1Flyby
Returned the first images of the far side of the Moon.[13]
13Pioneer P-3Able IVBPioneer P-3Atlas-D Able NASAOrbiter
Failed to orbit;[14] payload fairing disintegrated due to design fault.
14Luna E-3 No.1Luna E-3 No.1Luna OKB-1Flyby
Failed to orbit; premature third-stage cutoff.[15]
15Luna E-3 No.2Luna E-3 No.2Luna OKB-1Flyby
Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated ten seconds after launch.
16Pioneer P-30(Able VA)Pioneer P-30Atlas-D Able NASAOrbiter
Failed to orbit; second-stage oxidizer system malfunction resulting in premature cutoff.[16]
17Pioneer P-31(Able VB)Pioneer P-31Atlas-D Able NASAOrbiter
Failed to orbit, exploded 68 seconds after launch, at an altitude of . Second stage ignited while first stage was still attached and burning.[17]
18Ranger 3(P-34)Ranger 3Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Ranger 3 landerLander
Partial launch failure due to guidance problem; attempt to correct using spacecraft's engine resulted in it missing the Moon by .[18] [19]
19Ranger 4(P-35)Ranger 4Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Ranger 4 landerLander
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.[20]

The impact made the United States the 2nd country to impact the surface of the Moon.

20Ranger 5(P-36)Ranger 5Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Ranger 5 landerLander
Solar panels erroneously disengaged from power system, failed hours after launch when batteries were depleted. Missed the Moon as course correction was not completed.[21]
21Luna E-6 No.2Luna E-6 No.2Molniya-L OKB-1Lander
Failed to depart Low Earth orbit;[22] guidance system power failure prevented upper-stage ignition.[23]
22Luna E-6 No.3Luna E-6 No.3Molniya-L OKB-1Lander
Failed to orbit; guidance failure.
23Luna 4(E-6 No.4)Luna 4Molniya-L OKB-1Lander
Failed to perform mid-course correction, remained in high Earth orbit until given escape velocity by orbital perturbation.[24]
24Ranger 6(P-54)Ranger 6Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Impacted on 2 February 1964, failed to return images due to power system failure.[25] [26]
25Luna E-6 No.6Luna E-6 No.6Molniya-M OKB-1Lander
Failed to orbit; third stage underperformed due to oxidiser valve failure.
26Luna E-6 No.5Luna E-6 No.5Molniya-M OKB-1Lander
Failed to orbit; power failure caused by broken connection resulted in premature third-stage cutoff.
27Ranger 7Ranger 7Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Impacted on 30 July 1964 at 13:25:48 UTC.[27]
28Ranger 8Ranger 8Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Impacted on 20 February 1965 at 09:57:37 UTC.[28] [29]
29Kosmos 60(E-6 No.9)Kosmos 60Molniya-L LavochkinLander
Upper stage failed to restart due to guidance system short circuit, Failed to depart low Earth orbit.[30]
30Ranger 9Ranger 9Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASAImpactor
Impacted on 24 March 1965 at 14:08:20 UTC.[31]
31Luna E-6 No.8Luna E-6 No.8Molniya-L LavochkinLander
Third stage failed to ignite due to loss of oxidiser pressure, failed to orbit.
32Luna 5(E-6 No.10)Luna 5Molniya-M LavochkinLander
Loss of control after gyroscope malfunction, failed to decelerate for landing and impacted the Moon at 19:10 UTC on 12 May 1965.[32]
33Luna 6(E-6 No.7)Luna 6Molniya-M LavochkinLander
Engine failed to shut down after performing mid-course correction manoeuvre, flew past the Moon in a heliocentric orbit.[33]
34Zond 3(3MV-4 No.3)Zond 3Molniya LavochkinFlyby
Flew past the Moon on 20 July 1965 at a distance of .[34] Conducted technology demonstration for future planetary missions.
35Luna 7(E-6 No.11)Luna 7Molniya LavochkinLander
Attitude control failure shortly before landing prevented controlled descent; impacted the lunar surface 22:08:24 UTC on 7 October 1965.[35]
36Luna 8(E-6 No.12)Luna 8Molniya LavochkinLander
Landing airbag punctured, resulting in loss of attitude control shortly before planned touchdown, impacted Moon on 6 December 1965 at 21:51:30 UTC.[36]
37Luna 9(E-6 No.13)Luna 9Molniya-M LavochkinLander
First spacecraft to land successfully on the Moon. Touchdown on 3 February 1966 at 18:45:30 UTC.[37] Returned data until 6 February at 22:55 UTC.[38] With its soft landing, the Soviet Union became the first country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
38Kosmos 111(E-6S No.204)Kosmos 111Molniya-M LavochkinOrbiter
Upper stage lost attitude control and failed to ignite; spacecraft never left low Earth orbit.[39]
39Luna 10(E-6S No.206)Luna 10Molniya-M LavochkinOrbiter
Entered orbit at 18:44 UTC on 3 April 1966, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon.[40] Continued to return data until 30 May.
40Surveyor 1Surveyor 1Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASALander
Landed in Oceanus Procellarum on 2 June 1966 at 06:17:36 UTC. Returned data until loss of power on 13 July.[41] With its soft landing, the United States became the second country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
41Explorer 33(AIMP-D)Explorer 33Delta E1 NASAOrbiter
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.[42]
42Lunar Orbiter 1Lunar Orbiter 1Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASAOrbiter
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.[43]
43Luna 11(E-6LF No.101)Luna 11Molniya-M LavochkinOrbiter
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.[44]

44Surveyor 2Surveyor 2Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASALander
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.[45]
45Luna 12(E-6LF No.102)Luna 12Molniya-M LavochkinOrbiter
Entered orbit on 25 October 1966 and returned data until 19 January 1967.[46] Completed photography mission intended for Luna 11.
46Lunar Orbiter 2Lunar Orbiter 2Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASAOrbiter
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.[47]
47Luna 13(E-6M No.205)Luna 13Molniya-M LavochkinLander
Successfully landed in Oceanus Procellarum at 18:01 UTC on 24 December 1966. Returned images from the surface and studied the lunar soil.[48] Operated until depletion of power at 06:31 UTC on 28 December.
48Lunar Orbiter 3Lunar Orbiter 3Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASAOrbiter
Entered orbit at 21:54 UTC on 8 February 1967. Deorbited at end of mission and impacted the Moon on 9 October 1967.[49]
49Surveyor 3Surveyor 3Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASALander
Landed at 00:04 UTC on 20 April 1967 and operated until 3 May.[50] [51] Visited by Apollo 12 astronauts in 1969, with some parts removed for return to Earth.[52]
50Lunar Orbiter 4Lunar Orbiter 4Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASAOrbiter
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.[53]
51Surveyor 4Surveyor 4Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASALander
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.[54]
52Explorer 35
(AIMP-E)
Explorer 35
(AIMP-E)
Delta E1 NASAOrbiter
Magnetospheric probe, studying the Moon and interplanetary space. Deactivated on 27 June 1973.[55] Presumed to have impacted the Moon during the 1970s.[56]
53Lunar Orbiter 5Lunar Orbiter 5Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASAOrbiter
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.[57]
54Surveyor 5Surveyor 5Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D NASALander
Landed in Mare Tranquillitatis at 00:46:44 UTC on 11 September. Last signals received at 04:30 UTC on 17 December 1967.[58]
55Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4LSoyuz 7K-L1 No.4LProton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
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 6Surveyor 6Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D NASALander
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 . Last contact at 19:14 UTC on 14 December.[59]
57Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5LSoyuz 7K-L1 No.5LProton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions; unable to achieve orbit after second-stage engine failed to ignite.
58Surveyor 7Surveyor 7 NASALander
Final Surveyor mission.[60] Landed from Tycho crater at 01:05:36 UTC on 10 January. Operated until 21 February 1968.[61]
59Luna E-6LS No.112Luna E-6LS No.112Molniya-M LavochkinOrbiter
Failed to orbit after third stage ran out of fuel.
60Luna 14(E-6LS No.113)Luna 14Molniya-M LavochkinOrbiter
Tested communications for proposed crewed missions and studied the mass concentration of the Moon. Entered orbit on 10 April at 19:25 UTC.[62]
61Soyuz 7K-L1 No.7LSoyuz 7K-L1 No.7LProton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
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)Zond 5Proton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
Two tortoises and other life forms on board a technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Made a closest approach of 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.[63]
63Zond 6(7K-L1 No.12L)Zond 6Proton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
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 .[64] Reentered Earth's atmosphere on 17 November; recovery was unsuccessful after parachutes were prematurely jettisoned.
64Apollo 8Apollo 8Saturn V NASACrewed orbiter
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 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.[65]
65Soyuz 7K-L1 No.13LSoyuz 7K-L1 No.13LProton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
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.[66]
66Luna E-8 No.201Luna E-8 No.201Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
LunokhodRover
First launch of the Lunokhod rover. Launch vehicle disintegrated 51 seconds after launch and exploded.[67]
67Soyuz 7K-L1S No.3Soyuz 7K-L1S No.3N1 OKB-1Orbiter
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 from launch site. Spacecraft landed some from the launch pad after successfully using its launch escape system.
68Apollo 10Apollo 10Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module SnoopyOrbiter
Dress rehearsal for Apollo 11. Lunar Module with two astronauts on board descended to a distance of above the lunar surface.[68]
69Luna E-8-5 No.402Luna E-8-5 No.402Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna E-8-5 No.402 return craftSample Return
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.5Soyuz 7K-L1S No.5N1 OKB-1Orbiter
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 from the launch site after using launch escape sequence.
71Luna 15(E-8-5 No.401)Luna 15Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna 15 return craftSample Return
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 11Apollo 11Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module EagleLander/Launch Vehicle
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)Zond 7Proton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Carried four turtles in a lunar flyby on 10 August, with a closest approach of ; returned to Earth and landed in Kazakhstan at 18:13 UTC on 14 August.
74Kosmos 300(E-8-5 No.403)Kosmos 300Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Kosmos 300 return craftSample return
Third attempt at lunar sample return. After reaching low Earth orbit, the fourth-stage engine failed to fire for trans-lunar injection due to oxidiser leak. Spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere about 4 days after launch.
75Kosmos 305(E-8-5 No.404)Kosmos 305Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Kosmos 305 return craftSample Return
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 12Apollo 12Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module IntrepidLander/Launch Vehicle
Second crewed lunar landing.
77Luna E-8-5 No.405Luna E-8-5 No.405Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna E-8-5 No.405 return craftSample return
Failed to orbit
78Apollo 13Apollo 13Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module AquariusSaturn V NASARescue mission
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)Luna 16Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna 16 return craftSample return
First robotic sampling mission.
80Zond 8(7K-L1 No.14L)Zond 8Proton-K/D LavochkinFlyby
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions; returned to Earth successfully.
81Luna 17(E-8 No.203)Luna 17Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Lunokhod 1Rover
Luna 17 deployed Lunokhod 1.
82Apollo 14Apollo 14Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module AntaresLander/Launch Vehicle
Third crewed lunar landing.
83Apollo 15Apollo 15Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module FalconLander/Launch Vehicle
Lunar Roving VehicleRover
Fourth crewed lunar landing, and first to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
84PFS-1PFS-1Saturn V NASAOrbiter
PFS-1 was deployed from Apollo 15.
85Luna 18(E-8-5 No.407)Luna 18Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna 18 return craftSample return
Failed during descent to lunar surface.
86Luna 19(E-8LS No.202)Luna 19Proton-K/D LavochkinOrbiter
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)Luna 20Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna 20 return craftSample return
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), 120 km from where Luna 16 had landed.
88Apollo 16Apollo 16Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module OrionLander/Launch Vehicle
Lunar Roving VehicleRover
5th crewed lunar landing.
89PFS-2PFS-2Saturn V NASAOrbiter
PFS-2 deployed from Apollo 16.
90Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1N1 OKB-1Orbiter
Failed to orbit; intended to orbit the Moon and return to Earth.
91Apollo 17Apollo 17Saturn V NASAOrbiter
Lunar Module ChallengerLander/Launch Vehicle
Lunar Roving VehicleRover
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)Luna 21Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Lunokhod 2Rover
Deployed Lunokhod 2.
93Explorer 49(RAE-B)Explorer 49Delta 1913 NASAOrbiter
Radio astronomy spacecraft, operated in selenocentric orbit to avoid interference from terrestrial radio sources.
94Mariner 10Mariner 10Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A NASAFlyby
Interplanetary spacecraft, mapped lunar north pole to test cameras.
95Luna 22(E-8LS No.206)Luna 22Proton-K/D LavochkinOrbiter
Inserted into a circular lunar orbit on 2 June 1974
96Luna 23(E-8-5M No.410)Luna 23Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna 23 return craftSample Return
Tipped over upon landing, precluding any sample return attempt. Functioned for three days on surface.
97Luna E-8-5M No.412Luna E-8-5M No.412Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna E-8-5M No.412 return craftSample Return
Failed to orbit.
98Luna 24(E-8-5M No.413)Luna 24Proton-K/D LavochkinLander
Luna 24 return craftSample Return
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 hours later.[69] Returned of lunar regolith.[70] Final mission to the Moon from the Soviet Union.
99ISEE-3(ICE/Explorer 59)ISEE-3Delta 2914 NASAFlyby
Five flybys in 1982 and 1983 en route to comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner.
100Hiten(MUSES-A)HitenMu-3S-II ISASOrbiter
HagoromoMu-3S-II ISASOrbiter
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.[71] Hagoromo was deployed from Hiten. The impact made Japan the 3rd country to impact the surface of the Moon.
101GeotailGeotailDelta II 6925 ISAS/NASAFlyby
Series of flybys to regulate high Earth orbit.
102WINDWINDDelta II 7925-10 NASAFlyby
Made two flybys on 1 December 1994 and 27 December 1994 to reach the Earth–Sun L1 Lagrangian point.
103Clementine(DSPSE)ClementineTitan II (23)G Star-37FM USAF/NASAOrbiter
Completed Lunar objectives successfully; failed following departure from selenocentric orbit.
104HGS-1HGS-1Proton-K/DM3 HughesFlyby
Communications satellite; made two flybys in May and June 1998 en route to geosynchronous orbit after delivery into wrong orbit.
105Lunar Prospector(Discovery 3)Lunar ProspectorAthena II NASAOrbiter
The mission ended on July 31, 1999
106Nozomi(PLANET-B)NozomiM-V ISASFlyby
Two flybys en route to Mars.

21st century

Legend⚀ Cubesat or similar

Colour key:

– Successful – Failed
– Partially successful
– Operational
Mission!Spacecraft!Launch date!Carrier rocket!Operator!Mission type!Outcome
107WMAPWMAPDelta II 7425-10 NASAFlyby
Flyby on 30 July 2001 to reach the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point.
108SMART-1SMART-1Ariane 5G ESAOrbiter
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.
109STEREOSTEREO ADelta II 7925-10L NASAFlyby
STEREO B
Both component spacecraft entered heliocentric orbit on 15 December 2006.
110ARTEMISARTEMIS P1Delta II 7925 NASAOrbiter
ARTEMIS P2Orbiter
Two THEMIS spacecraft moved to selenocentric orbit for extended mission; entered orbit July 2011.
111SELENEKaguyaH-IIA 2022 JAXAOrbiter
OkinaOrbiter
OunaOrbiter
Deployed Okina and Ouna satellites. Kaguya and Okina impacted the Moon at end of mission.[72] Ouna completed operations on 29 June 2009[73] but remains in selenocentric orbit.
112Chang'e 1Chang'e 1Long March 3A CNSAOrbiter
Impacted Moon in USGS quadrangle LQ21 on 1 March 2009, at end of mission. The impact made China the 6th country to impact the surface of the Moon.
113Chandrayaan-1Chandrayaan-122 October 2008PSLV-XL C11 ISROOrbiter
Moon Impact ProbeImpactor
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.[74] 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 analyzed 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 & LCROSSLunar Reconnaissance OrbiterAtlas V 401 NASAOrbiter
LCROSSAtlas V 401 NASAImpactor
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 2Chang'e 2Long March 3C CNSAOrbiter
Following completion of six month Lunar mission, departed selenocentric orbit for Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point[75] and subsequently flew by asteroid 4179 Toutatis for a close encounter with the asteroid at a distance of 3.2 kilometers and a relative velocity of 10.73 km/s.[76] [77]
116GRAILEbb(GRAIL-A)[78] [79] Delta II 7920H NASAOrbiter
Flow(GRAIL-B)Orbiter
Impacted the Moon in USGS quadrangle LQ01 on 17 December 2012 at end of mission.[80]
117LADEELADEEMinotaur V NASAOrbiter
Mission ended on 18 April 2014, when the spacecraft's controllers intentionally crashed LADEE into the far side of the Moon.
118Chang'e 3Chang'e 3Long March 3B CNSALander
YutuLong March 3B CNSARover
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-T1Chang'e 5-T1Long March 3C CNSAOrbiter
Chang'e 5-T1 Return CapsuleLong March 3C CNSAOrbiter
Manfred Memorial Moon MissionLong March 3C LuxSpaceFlyby / Impactor (post mission)
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 8th country to impact the surface of the Moon.
120TESSTESSFalcon 9 Full Thrust NASAFlyby
Flyby on 17 May 2018 to designated high Earth orbit.[81]
121QueqiaoQueqiao relay satelliteLong March 4C CNSARelay Satellite
Longjiang-1Long March 4C CNSAOrbiter
Longjiang-2Long March 4C CNSAOrbiter
Launched on the same rocket as Queqiao. Longjiang-1 never entered Moon orbit,[82] while Longjiang-2 operated in lunar orbit until 31 July 2019, when it impacted the lunar surface.[83] Queqiao entered designated Earth–Moon orbit on 14 June in preparation of Chang'e 4 far-side lunar lander in December 2018.
122Chang'e 4Chang'e 4Long March 3B CNSALander
Yutu-2Rover
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.[84] [85] Cottonseeds sprouted in the lander in a biological experiment, the first plants to sprout on the Moon.[86]
123BeresheetBeresheetFalcon 9 SpaceILLander
First Israeli and first privately funded lunar lander mission. Technology demonstration. Instrumentation included a magnetometer and laser retroreflector.[87] [88] Spacecraft crashed into the lunar surface after main engine failure during descent from lunar orbit phase.[89] The impact made Israel the 7th country to impact the surface of the Moon.
124Chandrayaan-2Chandrayaan-2 OrbiterLVM3 ISROOrbiter
VikramLVM3 ISROLander
PragyanRover
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.[90]
125Chang'e 5Chang'e 5 Orbiter23 November 2020Long March 5 CNSAOrbiter
Chang'e 5 Lander23 November 2020Long March 5 CNSALander
Chang'e 5 AscenderLaunch Vehicle
Chang'e 5 ReturnerSample Return
First lunar sample return mission from China, which returned 1.731 kg (61.1 oz) 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.[91]
126CAPSTONE CAPSTONE28 June 2022[92] Electron NASAOrbiter
Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station.
127DanuriDanuri4 August 2022Falcon 9 KARIOrbiter[93] [94]
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 1Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-00216 November 2022[95] SLS Block 1 NASAOrbiter
LunaH-Map16 November 2022SLS Block 1 NASAOrbiter
Lunar IceCubeOrbiter
CubeSat for Solar ParticlesFlyby
Near-Earth Asteroid ScoutFlyby
OMOTENASHI JAXALander
ArgoMoon16 November 2022SLS Block 1 ASIFlybys
EQUULEUS JAXAFlybys
LunIR16 November 2022SLS Block 1 Lockheed MartinFlyby
BioSentinel16 November 2022SLS Block 1 NASAFlyby
Team Miles16 November 2022SLS Block 1 Fluid & ReasonFlyby
Uncrewed test of Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and lunar Distant retrograde orbit.
129Hakuto-R Mission 1Hakuto-R11 December 2022Falcon 9 Block 5 ispaceLander
SORA-Q Tomy/JAXA/DodaiRover
Rashid UAESA/MBRSCRover
Lunar Flashlight NASAOrbiter
Lunar lander technology demonstration.[96] 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.,[97] 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 1 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.[98] [99]
130Jupiter Icy Moons ExplorerJupiter Icy Moons Explorer14 April 2023Ariane 5 ECA ESAFlyby
Will fly by the Moon in August 2024 en route to Ganymede.
131Chandrayaan-3Chandrayaan-314 July 2023LVM3 ISROOrbiter
Vikram landerlander Lander
Pragyan roverRover
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 fourth country to successfully land on the lunar surface. Later during extended operations, the Propulsion Module returned to Earth's orbit.
132Luna 25Luna 2510 August 2023Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat RoscosmosLander
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. The impact made Russia the 10th country to impact the lunar surface.
133SLIMSLIM6 September 2023H-IIA JAXALander
LEV-1Hopper
LEV-2 (Sora-Q) Tomy / JAXA / Doshisha UniversityRover
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.[100] 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 OnePeregrine8 January 2024Vulcan Centaur VC2 Astrobotic TechnologyLander
Colmena × 5 UNAMRovers
Iris CMURover
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-1Nova-C Odysseus14 February 2024Falcon 9 B5 Intuitive MachinesLander
EagleCam14 February 2024Falcon 9 B5 ERAUDeployable camera
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.[101] EagleCam was not ejected prior to landing. It was later ejected on the 28th of February but minimal data was obtained.[102] [103]
136DRO A/BDRO-A13 March 2024Long March 2C CASRelay Satellite
DRO-BRelay Satellite
Yuanzheng 1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecrafts into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit.[104] Tracking data appears to show China is attempting to salvage spacecraft and they appear to have succeeded in reaching their desired orbit.[105] [106]
137Queqiao-2Queqiao-220 March 2024Long March 8 CNSARelay Satellite
Tiandu-1 Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL, Tiandu Lab)[107] Orbiter
Tiandu-2Orbiter
Relay satellite to support future missions of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program targeting south pole region.[108] Tiandu satellites are launched with them to test communications for future lunar satellite constellation technologies.[109]
138Chang'e 6Chang'e 6 Orbiter3 May 2024[110] Long March 5 CNSAOrbiter
Chang'e 6 Lander3 May 2024Long March 5 CNSALander
Chang'e 6 AscenderLaunch Vehicle
Chang'e 6 ReturnerSample Return
Jinchan[111] Rover
ICUBE-Q[112] 3 May 2024Long March 5 SUPARCO[113] Orbiter
First spacecraft to have collected lunar samples from the far side of the Moon (Apollo crater, South Pole–Aitken basin).[114] 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.[115]

Statistics

Captionstyle:text-align:left;

Launches by decade

This is a list of 138 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

First to achieve
!Country/Agency!Flyby!Orbit!Impact!Soft landing!Rover!Sample return!Crewed orbiting!Crewed landing
United StatesPioneer 4, 1959Lunar Orbiter 1, 1966Ranger 4, 1962Surveyor 1, 1966LRV (Apollo 15), 1971Apollo 11, 1969Apollo 8, 1968Apollo 11, 1969 †
Soviet UnionLuna 1, 1959Luna 10, 1966Luna 2, 1959Luna 9, 1966Lunokhod 1, 1970Luna 16, 1970
ChinaChang'e 5-T1, 2014Chang'e 1, 2007Chang'e 1, 2009Chang'e 3, 2013Yutu, 2013Chang'e 5, 2020
IndiaChandrayaan 3, 2023Chandrayaan 1, 2008MIP, 2008Chandrayaan 3, 2023Pragyan, 2023
JapanHiten, 1990Hiten, 1993Hiten, 1993SLIM, 2024LEV-1, 2024
IsraelBeresheet, 2019Beresheet, 2019Beresheet, 2019
RussiaLuna 25, 2023Luna 25, 2023Luna 25, 2023
ESASMART-1, 2003SMART-1, 2006
Luxembourg4M, 20144M, 2022
South KoreaDanuri, 2022
ItalyArgoMoon, 2022
UAERashid, 2023Rashid, 2023
PakistanICUBE-Q, 2024ICUBE-Q, 2024
MexicoColmena, 2024

Missions by organization/company

+Analysis of numbers of lunar missionsCountry/AgencyAgency
or company
SuccessfulPartial
failure
FailureSuccess rateOperational
TotalTotal for
country
USSRLavochkin1622240%-4058
Energia2-1611.11%-18
United StatesNASA3721467.27%45557
USAF1-150%-2
ChinaCNSA10--100%81010
JapanISAS2-250%-48
JAXA2-166.6%14
IndiaISRO21-83.26%233
Various member statesESA1--100%-11
LuxembourgLuxSpace1--100%-11
South KoreaKARI1--100%111
United States (private company)Lockheed Martin1--100%-11
United States (private company)Fluid & Reason1--100%-11
United States (private company)Astrobotic Technology--10%-11
United States (private company)Intuitive Machines1--100%111
United States (private university)ERAU--10%-11
ItalyASI1--100%-11
IsraelSpaceIL--10%-11
RussiaRoscosmos--10%-11
UAEUAESA--10%-11
Japan (private company)ispace--10%-11
IST / SUPARCO1--100%111

Future missions

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

Funded and are under development

Robotic

MissionSpacecraftLaunch dateCarrier rocketOperatorMission type
IM-2Nova-CDecember 2024[116] Falcon 9 B5 Intuitive MachinesLander
Khon1Relay Satellite
μNovaHopper
MAPP Lunar Outpost NokiaRover
AstroAnt[117] MITRover
Yaoki[118] DymonRover
Second Nova-C. Payloads delivery for NASA's CLPS and for private customers.[119] MAPP and μNova will test a new Nokia lunar communication system.
SHERPA-ES mission[120] SHERPA-ESDecember 2024Falcon 9 B5 Spaceflight IndustriesGravity Assist
Lunar Trailblazer NASAOrbiter
Lunar flyby towards geostationary orbit, payload delivery.
Hakuto-R Mission 2Hakuto-R2024[121] Falcon 9 B5 ispaceLander
Ispace rover Ispace EuropeRover
Rover for collecting lunar resources and other commercial payloads.
Blue Ghost M1Blue Ghost Lander2024Falcon 9 B5 Firefly AerospaceLander
Lunar lander, carrying NASA-sponsored experiments and commercial payloads to Mare Crisium.[122] [123]
IM-3Nova-COctober 2025[124] Falcon 9 B5 Intuitive MachinesLander
Khon2Relay Satellite
CADRE x3 NASARovers
Lunar Vertex NASA Lunar OutpostRover
Third Nova-C. Payloads delivery for NASA's CLPS and for private customers. Lunar Vertex mission.
Starship Demo missionStarship HLS2025[125] Starship SpaceXLander
Uncrewed demo mission of Starship HLS.
DESTINY+DESTINY+2025[126] Epsilon S JAXAFlyby
Lunar flyby toward asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
Griffin Mission 1[127] Griffin lander2025[128] Falcon Heavy Astrobotic TechnologyLander
Lunar Polar Exploration MissionLUPEX lander2026[129] H3 ISROLander
LUPEX rover JAXARover
Lander and rover, part of Chandrayaan programme.[130]
Artemis 3 Starship HLS deliveryStarship HLS2026Starship SpaceXLander
Delivery of Starship HLS for Artemis 3 mission.
TBD (CLPS Lander)[131] Moon to Mars Initiative: Trailblazer (Roo-ver)[132] 2026TBD Australian Space AgencyRover
APEX 1.0APEX 1.02026[133] TBD ispace U.S. DraperLander
Lunar Relay Satellite 1[134] ispace U.S. Blue Canyon TechnologiesRelay Satellite
Lunar Relay Satellite 2Relay Satellite
Lunar lander. ispace Mission 3, and mission CP-12 of the CLPS program.
Blue Ghost M2[135] Blue Ghost lander2026TBD Firefly AerospaceLander
Elytra orbital vehicleOrbiter
Second mission of Firefly Aerospace, part of CLPS, includes 2 stage variant of blue ghost.
Lunar PathfinderLunar Pathfinder2026TBD ESARelay Satellite
Lunar communications satellite to support future lunar missions.
Chang'e 7Chang'e 7 Orbiter2026[136] Long March 5 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.
Starship cargo missionStarship HLS2026Starship SpaceXLander
First SpaceX lunar cargo mission, yet to be announced by SpaceX itself.
FLEX[137] FLEX2026Starship AstrolabRover
Large Lunar rover, can accommodate cargo and 2 astronauts.
Astrobotic mission 3[138] TBA2026Falcon Heavy AstroboticLander
LunaGrid-Lite CubeRoverRover
Lunaris Platform[139] Deployable platform
Third lunar mission by Astrobotic, will land at lunar south pole. LunaGrid-Lite mission.
Canadian lunar rover missionCanadensys Lunar Rover2026TBD Canadensys CSARover
First Canadian lunar rover. Will fly as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.[140]
ZeusXZeusX service moduleQ4 2027TBD QosmosysOrbiter
ZeusX lunar landerLander
LIBERRover
First lunar landing attempt for Singapore, lander can carry up to 800 kg to lunar surface.
Luna 26Luna 262027[141] Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat RoscosmosOrbiter
Orbiter, part of the Luna-Glob programme.[142] Will scout for Luna 27 landing site.
PPE and HALO[143] PPE2027[144] Falcon Heavy NASA Northrop GrummanSpace station assembly
HALO
First two Lunar Gateway modules.
Luna 27Luna 272028Angara A5 / Fregat RoscosmosLander
Lander, part of Luna-Glob programme.
Luna 27 (Backup)Luna 272028Angara A5 / Fregat RoscosmosLander
Backup for Luna 27, will launch a few months after Luna 27.
Chang'e 8Chang'e 8 Orbiter2028[145] CNSAOrbiter
Chang'e 8 LanderLander
Chang'e 8 RoverRover
Chang'e 8 RobotHopper
South pole lander.[146] Testing technology for using local resources and manufacturing with 3D printing.[147]
SpaceX GLS-1[148] Dragon XL2028Falcon Heavy SpaceXResupply vehicle
First resupply mission to Lunar Gateway.
Uncrewed Blue Moon Demo missionBlue Moon HLS2028New Glenn Blue OriginLander
Cislunar Transporter2028New Glenn Lockheed MartinTransfer vehicle
Demo mission of Blue Moon lander system in preparation for crewed landing in 2029.
Artemis 4 Starship HLS deliveryStarship HLS2028Starship SpaceXLander
Delivery of Starship HLS for Artemis 4 mission.
Artemis 5 Blue Moon HLS deliveryBlue Moon HLS2029New Glenn Blue OriginLander
Cislunar Transporter2029New Glenn Lockheed MartinTransfer vehicle
Delivery of Blue Moon HLS for Artemis 5 mission.
Argonaut M1Argonaut Lander2031[149] Ariane 64 ESALander
Robotic Lander system. Will act as resupply vehicle for future Moonbase.[150]
Lunar Voyage 3[151] [152] MappTBATBA Lunar OutpostRover
First fully commercial mission of Lunar Outpost MAPP program.

Crewed

Agency or companyNameSpacecraftLaunch dateLaunch vehiclewidth=50% Notes
NASA CSAArtemis 2OrionSeptember 2025SLS Block 1Crewed test of the Orion spacecraft on a free-return trajectory around the Moon.
NASAArtemis 3Orion, Starship HLSSeptember 2026SLS Block 1Deliver the "first woman and next man" to the Moon.
NASAArtemis 4Orion, Starship HLSSeptember 2028SLS Block 1BFirst flight of Block 1B configuration. Deliver Lunar I-Hab and conduct second Artemis crewed lunar landing.
NASAArtemis 5Orion, Blue Moon HLSMarch 2030[153] SLS Block 1BCrewed Gateway and Surface expedition. Delivery of ESPRIT and Lunar Terrain Vehicle.
CNSAChinese crewed lunar missionMengzhou,
Lanyue
~2030[154] Long March 10Two launches of the LM-10 to put a pair of astronauts on the Moon for a 6-hour stay.
NASAArtemis 6Orion, TBDMarch 2031[155] SLS Block 1BLunar landing with delivery of Crew and Science Airlock module.

Proposed but full funding still unclear

Robotic

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

Agency or companyMissionName of spacecraftProposed launchNotes
GEC Doge-1[156] TBA12U CubeSat, the mission is being paid for entirely with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. First Canadian lunar mission.
SpaceILBeresheet 2[157] Orbiter2025One orbiter, Two landers.
Lander 1
Lander 2
AirvantisGaratéa-L2025[158] Proposed lunar CubeSat, Partnership between UKSA and ESA.
OHB IAILSAS lander2025proposed commercial lander, will rideshare with a Geostationary satellite.
ParsecParsec lunar satellites2025Parsec lunar communication constellation.[159]
Turkish Space AgencyAYAP-12026Turkey will perform a hard landing on the Moon.
ESALunar Meteoroid Impact Observer2026Proposed CubeSat to observe asteroid impacts on Far side of Moon.
ISROChandrayaan-42028Proposed Sample-return mission, part of Chandrayaan programme.
Australian Space AgencyLunar Trailblazer2026Under study for possible rover mission
Delft University of TechnologyLunar zebro2026Small swarming rover, radiation measurements
CNSA RoscosmosILRS 1-52026 - 20355 crucial missions planned for comprehensive establishment of ILRS to complete the in-orbit and surface facilities
Turkish Space AgencyAYAP-2Lander2028Soft landing mission
Rover
RoscosmosLuna 282030[160] Proposed Sample-return mission, part of Luna-Glob program, may include small rover.
RoscosmosLuna 29Luna 29 Lander2030sProposed Sample-return mission, part of Luna-Glob program, Will include Luna-Grunt rover.
Luna-Grunt rover
KARIPhase 2 of the Korean lunar exploration program2030[161] Lander and rover
RoscosmosZeus2030Nuclear Propelled Space Tug, might deliver payloads to the moon
NASABOLASTBD2 tethered CubeSats on a very low lunar orbit.[162]
Magellan AerospaceAutonomous Impactor for Lunar ExplorationTBDImpactor for LEAP
NASALunar Crater Radio TelescopeTBDRadio telescope made by 4 rovers
LiftPort GroupLunar space elevatorTBDCreating a reusable, replaceable and expandable Lunar elevator to open up the resources present on the Moon
ESC AerospaceLVICE²TBDMeasuring the concentration of micrometeorites[163]

Unrealized concepts

1960s

1970s

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Why failure is the fuel for a trip to Moon. The Times of India. 11 September 2019 . 11 September 2019. 19 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210219143137/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/why-failure-is-the-fuel-for-a-trip-to-moon/articleshow/71077117.cms. live.
  2. Web site: Chandrayaan-2 landing: 40% lunar missions in last 60 years failed, finds Nasa report. 7 September 2019 . 28 June 2022. 8 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190908171320/https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/chandrayaan-2-landing-40-lunar-missions-in-last-60-years-failed-finds-nasa-report-1596620-2019-09-07. live.
  3. Book: Siddiqi, Asif A. . Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000 . 2002 . NASA History Office . Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24 . 17–19 . 1958 . https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1958.pdf . 12 July 2017 . 12 February 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130212111638/http://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1958.pdf . live .
  4. Web site: Pioneer 0 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 19 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211219045826/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=ABLE1 . live .
  5. Encyclopedia: Luna E-1 . Encyclopedia Astronautica . 3 December 2013 . Wade . Mark . https://web.archive.org/web/20101222181555/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/lunae1.htm . 22 December 2010 . dead . dmy-all.
  6. Web site: Pioneer 1 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 5 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405233448/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1958-007A . live .
  7. Web site: Pioneer 2 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 9 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220209175033/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=PION2 . live .
  8. Web site: Pioneer 3 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 19 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190419205707/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1958-008A . live .
  9. Book: Siddiqi, Asif A. . Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000 . 2002 . NASA History Office . Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24 . 21–24 . 1959 . https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1959.pdf . 12 July 2017 . 22 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200922033420/https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1959.pdf . live .
  10. Web site: Luna 1 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 2 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190602031816/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1959-012A . live .
  11. Web site: Pioneer 4 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 23 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170223035908/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1959-013A . live .
  12. Web site: Luna 2 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 25 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190825003339/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1959-014A . live .
  13. Web site: Luna 3 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 4 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210604001110/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1959-008A . live .
  14. Web site: Pioneer P-3 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 19 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190619223413/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=PIONX . live .
  15. Book: Siddiqi, Asif A. . Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000 . 2002 . NASA History Office . Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24 . 25–27 . 1960 . https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1960.pdf . 12 July 2017 . 27 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201027154020/https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1960.pdf . live .
  16. Web site: Pioneer P-30 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 26 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190626193709/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=PIONY . live .
  17. Web site: Pioneer P-31 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 29 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190629021756/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=PIONZ . live .
  18. Book: Siddiqi, Asif A. . Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000 . 2002 . NASA History Office . Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24 . 34–37 . 1962 . https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1962.pdf . 12 July 2017 . 8 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308134852/https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1962.pdf . live .
  19. Web site: Ranger 3 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 8 January 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170108223625/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1962-001A . live .
  20. Web site: Ranger 4 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 29 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190629120238/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1962-012A . live .
  21. Web site: Ranger 5 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 12 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160412185622/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1962-055A . live .
  22. Web site: Sputnik 25 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 7 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200707011855/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1963-001A . live .
  23. Book: Siddiqi, Asif A. . Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000 . 2002 . NASA History Office . Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24 . 39–40 . 1963 . https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1963.pdf . 12 July 2017 . 8 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308150703/https://history.nasa.gov/monograph24/1963.pdf . live .
  24. Web site: Luna 4 . 3 December 2013 . US National Space Science Data Center . 10 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200210023810/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1963-008B . live .
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