List of missions to the Moon

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See also: List of lunar probes
Surveyor 3 on the Moon
The first image taken of the far side of the Moon, returned by Luna 3

As part of human exploration of the Moon, numerous space missions have been undertaken to study Earth's natural satellite. Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to reach its surface successfully, intentionally impacting the Moon on 14 September 1959. In 1966, Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to achieve a controlled soft landing, while Luna 10 became the first mission to enter orbit.

Between 1968 and 1972, manned missions to the Moon were conducted by the United States as part of the Apollo programme. Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to enter orbit in December 1968, and was followed by Apollo 10 in May 1969. Six missions landed men on the Moon, beginning with Apollo 11 in July 1969, during which Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon. Apollo 13 was intended to land, however it was restricted to a flyby due to a malfunction aboard the spacecraft. All nine manned missions returned safely to the Earth.

While the United States focused on the manned Apollo programme, the Soviet Union conducted unmanned missions that deployed rovers and returned samples to the Earth. Three rover missions were launched, of which two were successful, and eleven sample return flights were attempted with three successes.

Missions to the Moon have been conducted by the Soviet Union, United States, European Space Agency, Japan, India and the People's Republic of China. The Moon has also been visited by five spacecraft not dedicated to studying it; four spacecraft have flown past it to gain gravity assists, and a radio telescope, Explorer 49, was placed into selenocentric orbit in order to use the Moon to block interference from terrestrial radio sources.

Missions

Spacecraft Launch Date[1] Carrier rocket[2] Operator Mission Outcome Remarks
Able I[3] 17 August 1958 Thor DM-18 Able I[3] USAF
United States		 Orbiter Launch failure First attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; failed to orbit due to turbopump gearbox malfunction resulting in first stage explosion.[3] Reached apogee of 16 kilometres (9.9 mi)[4]
E-1 No.1 23 September 1958 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Impactor Launch failure Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated due to excessive vibration[3][5]
Able II[3] 11 October 1958 Thor DM-18 Able I[3] NASA
United States		 Orbiter Launch failure Failed to orbit; premature second stage cutoff due to accelerometer failure. Later known as Pioneer 1.[3] Reached apogee of 113,800 kilometres (70,700 mi).[6]
E-1 No.2 11 October 1958 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Impactor Launch failure Failed to orbit; carrier rocket exploded due to excessive vibration.[3][5]
Pioneer 2
(Able III)		 8 November 1958 Thor DM-18 Able I NASA
United States		 Orbiter Launch 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[3] Reached apogee of 1,550 kilometres (960 mi).[7]
E-1 No.3 4 December 1958 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Impactor Launch failure Failed to orbit; seal failure in hydrogen peroxide pump cooling system resulted in core stage underperformance[3][5]
Pioneer 3 6 December 1958 Juno II NASA
United States		 Flyby Launch failure Failed to orbit; premature first stage cutoff.[3] Reached apogee of 102,360 kilometres (63,600 mi).[8]
Mechta
(E-1 No.4)		 2 January 1959 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Impactor Launch failure Carrier rocket guidance problem resulted in failure to impact Moon, flew past in heliocentric orbit, later known as Luna 1[9] Closest approach 5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi) on 4 January.[10]
Pioneer 4 3 March 1959 Juno II NASA
United States		 Flyby Launch failure Second stage overperformance resulted in flyby at greater altitude than expected, out of instrument range.[9] Closest approach at 22:25 UTC on 4 March. First US spacecraft to leave Earth orbit.[11]
E-1A No.1 18 June 1959 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Impactor Launch failure Failed to orbit; guidance system malfunction[9]
Luna 2
(E-1A No.2)		 12 September 1959 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Impactor Successful Successful impact at 21:02 on 14 September 1959. First spacecraft to reach lunar surface[12]
Luna 3
(E-2A No.1)		 4 October 1959 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Flyby Successful Returned first images of the far side of the Moon[13]
P-3
Able IVB		 26 November 1959 Atlas-D Able NASA
United States		 Orbiter Launch failure Failed to orbit;[14] payload fairing disintegrated due to design fault[9]
E-3 No.1 15 April 1960 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Flyby Launch failure Failed to orbit; premature third stage cutoff[15]
E-3 No.2 16 April 1960 Luna OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Flyby Launch failure Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated ten seconds after launch[15]
P-30
(Able VA)		 25 September 1960 Atlas-D Able NASA
United States		 Orbiter Launch failure Failed to orbit; second stage oxidiser system malfunction resulting in premature cutoff[15][16] payload fairing disintegrated due to design fault[9]
P-31
(Able VB)		 15 December 1960 Atlas-D Able NASA
United States		 Orbiter Launch failure Failed to orbit;[17] second stage ignited while first stage was still attached and burning, vehicle exploded[15]
Ranger 3
(P-34)		 26 January 1962 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Spacecraft 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 (22,862 mi)[18][19]
Ranger 4
(P-35)		 23 April 1962 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Spacecraft 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[18][20]
Ranger 5
(P-36)		 18 October 1962 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Spacecraft failure Solar panels erroneously disengaged from power system, failed ​8 3⁄4 hours after launch when batteries were depleted.[18] Missed the Moon as course correction was not completed[21]
E-6 No.2 4 January 1963 Molniya-L OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Lander Launch failure Failed to depart Low Earth orbit;[22] guidance system power failure prevented upper stage ignition[23]
E-6 No.3 3 February 1963 Molniya-L OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Lander Launch failure Failed to orbit; guidance failure[23]
Luna 4
(E-6 No.4)		 2 April 1963 Molniya-L OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Lander Spacecraft failure Failed to perform mid-course correction,[23] remained in high Earth orbit until given escape velocity by orbital perturbation[24]
Ranger 6
(P-54)		 30 January 1964 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Spacecraft failure Impacted on 2 February 1964, failed to return images due to power system failure[25][26]
E-6 No.6 21 March 1964 Molniya-M OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Lander Launch failure Failed to orbit; third stage underperformed due to oxidiser valve failure[25]
E-6 No.5 20 April 1964 Molniya-M OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Lander Launch failure Failed to orbit; power failure caused by broken connection resulted in premature third stage cutoff[25]
Ranger 7 28 July 1964 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Successful Impacted on 30 July 1964 at 13:25:48 UTC[27]
Ranger 8 17 February 1965 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Successful Impacted on 20 February 1965 at 09:57:37 UTC[28][29]
Kosmos 60
(E-6 No.9)		 12 March 1965 Molniya-L Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Launch failure Upper stage failed to restart due to guidance system short-circuit.[28] Failed to depart low Earth orbit[30]
Ranger 9 21 March 1965 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B NASA
United States		 Impactor Successful Impacted on 24 March 1965 at 14:08:20 UTC[28][31]
E-6 No.8 10 April 1965 Molniya-L Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Launch failure Third stage failed to ignite due to loss of oxidiser pressure, failed to orbit[28]
Luna 5
(E-6 No.10)		 9 May 1965 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Spacecraft failure Loss of control after gyroscope malfunction,[28] failed to decelerate for landing and impacted the Moon at 19:10 UTC on 12 May 1965.[32]
Luna 6
(E-6 No.7)		 8 June 1965 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Spacecraft failure Engine failed to shut down after performing mid-course correction manoeuvre,[28] flew past the Moon in heliocentric orbit.[33]
Zond 3
(3MV-4 No.3)		 18 July 1965 Molniya Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Successful Flew past the Moon on 20 July 1965 at a distance of 9,200 kilometres (5,700 mi).[34] Conducted technology demonstration for future planetary missions.[28]
Luna 7
(E-6 No.11)		 4 October 1965 Molniya Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Spacecraft failure Attitude control failure shortly before landing prevented controlled descent; impacted the lunar surface 22:08:24 UTC on 7 October 1965.[28][35]
Luna 8
(E-6 No.12)		 3 December 1965 Molniya Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Spacecraft failure Landing airbag punctured, resulting in loss of attitude control shortly before planned touchdown,[28] impacted Moon at 21:51:30 UTC on 6 December 1965[36]
Luna 9
(E-6 No.13)		 31 January 1966 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Successful First spacecraft to land successfully on the Moon; touchdown at 18:45:30 UTC on 3 February 1966.[37] Returned data until 22:55 UTC on 6 February.[38]
Kosmos 111
(E-6S No.204)		 1 March 1966 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Launch failure Upper stage lost attitude control and failed to ignite;[38] spacecraft never left low Earth orbit[39]
Luna 10
(E-6S No.206)		 31 March 1966 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Successful 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.[38]
Surveyor 1 30 May 1966 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Successful Landed in Oceanus Procellarum at 06:17:36 UTC on 2 June 1966.[38] Returned data until loss of power on 13 July.[41]
Explorer 33
(AIMP-D)		 1 July 1966 Delta E1 NASA
United States		 Orbiter Launch failure Magnetospheric probe; rocket imparted greater velocity than had been planned, leaving spacecraft unable to enter orbit.[38] Repurposed for Earth orbit mission which was completed successfully.[42]
Lunar Orbiter 1 10 August 1966 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASA
United States		 Orbiter Partial 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.[43]
Luna 11
(E-6LF No.101)		 21 August 1966 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Partial failure Entered orbit on 28 August 1966. Failed to return images; other instruments operated correctly.[38] 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 operations on 1 October 1966 after power was depleted.[44]
Surveyor 2 20 September 1966 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Spacecraft failure One thruster failed to ignite during mid-course correction manoeuvre resulting in loss of control.[38] Impacted the Moon at 03:18 UTC on 23 September 1966.[45]
Luna 12
(E-6LF No.102)		 22 October 1966 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Successful Entered orbit on 25 October 1966 and returned data until 19 January 1967.[46] Completed photography mission intended for Luna 11.[38]
Lunar Orbiter 2 6 November 1966 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful 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]
Luna 13
(E-6M No.205)		 21 December 1966 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander Successful Successfully landed in Oceanus Procellarum at 18:01 UTC on 24 December 1966.[38] Returned images from the surface and studied the lunar soil.[48] Operated until depletion of power at 06:31 UTC on 28 December.[38]
Lunar Orbiter 3 5 February 1967 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Entered orbit at 21:54 UTC on 8 February 1967. Deorbited at end of mission and impacted the Moon on 9 October 1967.[49]
Surveyor 3 17 April 1967 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Successful 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]
Lunar Orbiter 4 4 May 1967 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful 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.[50][53]
Surveyor 4 14 July 1967 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Spacecraft failure Contact with spacecraft lost at 02:03 UTC on 17 July, two and a half minutes before scheduled landing.[50] NASA determined that the spacecraft may have exploded, otherwise it impacted the Moon.[54]
Explorer 35
(AIMP-E)		 19 July 1967 Delta E1 NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Magnetospheric probe, studying the Moon and interplanetary space. Deactivated on 27 June 1973.[55] Presumed to have impacted the Moon during the 1970s.[56]
Lunar Orbiter 5 1 August 1967 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful 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]
Surveyor 5 8 September 1967 Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Successful Landed in Mare Tranquillitatis at 00:46:44 UTC on 11 September. Last signals received at 04:30 UTC on 17 December 1967.[58]
7K-L1 No.4L 27 September 1967 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Launch failure Technology demonstration for planned manned missions. Failed to reach orbit after a blocked propellant line caused one of the first stage engines not to ignite.[50]
Surveyor 6 7 November 1967 Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Successful Landed in Sinus Medii at 01:01:04 UTC on 10 November.[50] Made brief flight from lunar surface at 10:32 UTC on 17 November, followed by second landing after travelling 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in). Last contact at 19:14 UTC on 14 December.[59]
7K-L1 No.5L 22 November 1967 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Launch failure Technology demonstration for planned manned missions; unable to achieve orbit after second stage engine failed to ignite.[50]
Surveyor 7 7 January 1968 Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D NASA
United States		 Lander Successful Final Surveyor mission.[60] Landed 29 kilometres (18 mi) from Tycho crater at 01:05:36 UTC on 10 January. Operated until 21 February 1968.[61]
E-6LS No.112 7 February 1968 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Launch failure Failed to orbit after third stage ran out of fuel.[61]
Luna 14
(E-6LS No.113)		 6 February 1969 Molniya-M Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Successful Tested communications for proposed manned missions and studied the mass concentration of the Moon. Entered orbit on 10 April at 19:25 UTC.[62]
7K-L1 No.7L 22 April 1968 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Launch failure Technology demonstration for planned manned missions. Failed to orbit after second stage engine incorrectly commanded to shut down; although spacecraft was recovered using its prototype launch escape system.[61]
Zond 5
(7K-L1 No.9L)		 14 September 1968 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Successful Technology demonstration for planned manned missions. Made a closest approach of 1,850 kilometres (1,150 mi) on 18 September before returning to Earth. Landed in the Indian Ocean on 21 September at 16:08 UTC, becoming first Lunar spacecraft to be recovered successfully.[63]
Zond 6
(7K-L1 No.12L)		 10 November 1968 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Spacecraft failure Technology demonstration for planned manned missions. Flyby occurred on 14 November, with a closest approach of 2,420 kilometres (1,500 mi).[64] Reentered Earth's atmosphere on 17 November however recovery was unsuccessful after parachutes were prematurely jettisoned.[61]
Apollo 8 21 December 1968 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter Successful First manned 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]
7K-L1 No.13L 20 January 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Launch failure Technology demonstration for planned manned 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]
E-8 No.201 19 February 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander/Rover Launch failure First launch of the Lunokhod rover. Launch vehicle disintegrated 51 seconds after launch and exploded.[66]
7K-L1S No.3 21 February 1969 N1 OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Launch 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 (31 mi) from launch site. Spacecraft landed some 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the launch pad after successfully using its launch escape system.[66]
Apollo 10 18 May 1969 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter Successful Dress rehearsal for Apollo 11
E-8-5 No.402 14 June 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Launch failure Intended to land on the Moon and return lunar soil sample. Did not reach Earth orbit after fourth stage failed to ignite.[66]
7K-L1S No.5 3 July 1969 N1 OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Launch 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 (1.2 mi) from the launch site after using launch escape sequence.[66]
Luna 15
(E-8-5 No.401)		 13 July 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Spacecraft failure Reached lunar orbit at 10:00 UTC on 17 July. Descent retro-rocket burn started at 15:47 UTC on 21 July. Contact lost 3 minutes after de-orbit burn; probably crashed on the Moon.[66]
Apollo 11 16 July 1969 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander Successful First manned landing on the Moon. LM landed at 20:17 UTC on 20 July 1969
Zond 7
(7K-L1 No.11L)		 7 August 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Successful Technology demonstration for planned manned missions. Lunar flyby on 10 August, with a closest approach of 1,200 kilometres (750 mi); returned to Earth and landed in Kazakhstan at 18:13 UTC on 14 August.[66]
Kosmos 300
(E-8-5 No.403)		 23 September 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Launch 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 oxidiser leak. Spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere about 4 days after launch.[66]
Kosmos 305
(E-8-5 No.404)		 22 October 1969 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Launch 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.[66]
Apollo 12 14 November 1969 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander Successful
E-8-5 No.405 6 February 1970 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Launch failure Failed to orbit
Apollo 13 11 April 1970 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander Spacecraft failure Mission aborted following oxygen tank explosion, flew past the Moon without entering orbit and returned to Earth
Luna 16
(E-8-5 No.406)		 12 September 1970 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Successful
Zond 8
(7K-L1 No.14L)		 20 October 1970 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Flyby Successful Technology demonstration for planned manned missions; returned to Earth successfully
Luna 17
(E-8 No.203)		 10 November 1970 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander/Rover Successful Deployed Lunokhod 1
Apollo 14 31 January 1971 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander Successful
Apollo 15 26 July 1971 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander/Rover Successful
PFS-1 26 July 1971 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Deployed from Apollo 15
Luna 18
(E-8-5 No.407)		 2 September 1971 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Spacecraft failure Failed during descent to lunar surface
Luna 19
(E-8LS No.202)		 28 September 1971 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Successful
Luna 20
(E-8-5 No.408)		 14 February 1972 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Successful
Apollo 16 16 April 1972 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander/Rover Successful
PFS-2 16 April 1972 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Deployed from Apollo 16
7K-LOK No.1 3 July 1969 N1 OKB-1
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Launch failure Failed to orbit; intended to orbit the Moon and return to Earth
Apollo 17 7 December 1972 Saturn V NASA
United States		 Manned Orbiter/Lander/Rover Successful Last manned Moon landing
Luna 21
(E-8 No.204)		 8 January 1973 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Lander/Rover Successful Deployed Lunokhod 2
Explorer 49
(RAE-B)		 10 June 1973 Delta 1913 NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Radio astronomy spacecraft, operated in selenocentric orbit to avoid interference from terrestrial radio sources
Mariner 10
(RAE-B)		 3 November 1973 Delta 1913 NASA
United States		 Flyby Successful Interplanetary spacecraft, mapped lunar north pole to test cameras.
Luna 22
(E-8LS No.206)		 29 May 1974 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Orbiter Successful
Luna 23
(E-8-5M No.410)		 28 October 1974 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Spacecraft failure Tipped over upon landing
E-8-5M No.412 16 October 1975 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Launch failure Failed to orbit
Luna 24
(E-8-5M No.413)		 9 August 1976 Proton-K/D Lavochkin
Soviet Union		 Sample return Successful Final mission of the Luna programme. 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.[67] Returned 170.1 grams (6.00 oz) of lunar regolith.[68]
ISEE-3
(ICE/Explorer 59)		 12 August 1978 Delta 2914 NASA
United States		 Gravity assist N/A Five flybys in 1982 and 1983 en route to comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner
Hiten
(MUSES-A)		 24 January 1990 Mu-3S-II ISAS
Japan		 Flyby/Orbiter Successful Designed for flyby, placed into selenocentric orbit during extended mission after failure of Hagoromo
Hagoromo 24 January 1990 Mu-3S-II ISAS
Japan		 Orbiter Spacecraft failure Deployed from Hiten. Communications failure; entered selenocentric orbit but returned no data
Geotail 24 July 1992 Delta II 6925 ISAS/NASA
Japan/United States		 Gravity assist N/A Series of flybys to regulate high Earth orbit
Clementine
(DSPSE)		 25 January 1994 Titan II (23)G Star-37FM USAF/NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Completed Lunar objectives successfully; failed following departure from selenocentric orbit
HGS-1 24 December 1997 Proton-K/DM3 Hughes
United States		 Gravity assist N/A Communications satellite; made two flybys in May and June 1998 en route to geosynchronous orbit after delivery into wrong orbit
Lunar Prospector
(Discovery 3)		 7 January 1998 Athena II NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful
Nozomi
(PLANET-B)		 3 July 1998 M-V ISAS
Japan		 Gravity assist N/A Two flybys en route to Mars
SMART-1 27 September 2003 Ariane 5G ESA
Europe		 Orbiter Successful Impacted moon in LQ26 quadrangle at end of mission on 3 September 2006
ARTEMIS P1 17 February 2007 Delta II 7925 NASA
United States		 Orbiter Operational THEMIS spacecraft moved to selenocentric orbit for extended mission; entered orbit July 2011
ARTEMIS P2 17 February 2007 Delta II 7925 NASA
United States		 Orbiter Operational THEMIS spacecraft moved to selenocentric orbit for extended mission; entered orbit July 2011
Kaguya
(SELENE)		 14 September 2007 H-IIA 2022 JAXA
Japan		 Orbiter Successful Impacted the Moon in LQ30 quadrangle at end of mission on 10 June 2009[69]
Okina
(RSAT)		 14 September 2007 H-IIA 2022 JAXA
Japan		 Orbiter Successful Deployed from Kaguya, decayed and impacted moon in LQ08 quadrangle on 12 February 2009 after end of mission
Ouna
(VRAD)		 14 September 2007 H-IIA 2022 JAXA
Japan		 Orbiter Successful Deployed from Kaguya, completed operations on 29 June 2009[70] but remains in selenocentric orbit
Chang'e 1 24 October 2007 Chang Zheng 3A CNSA
PR China		 Orbiter Successful Impacted moon in LQ21 quadrangle on 1 March 2009, at end of mission
Chandrayaan-1 21 October 2008 PSLV-XL ISRO
India		 Orbiter Partial failure Failed partway through mission, remains in selenocentric orbit; discovered & confirmed water on Moon[71]
Moon Impact Probe 21 October 2008 PSLV-XL ISRO
India		 Impactor Successful Deployed from Chandrayaan-1, impacted Moon in LQ30 quadrangle on 14 November 2008
LRO 18 June 2009 Atlas V 401 NASA
United States		 Orbiter Operational
LCROSS 18 June 2009 Atlas V 401 NASA
United States		 Impactor Successful Observed impact of Centaur upper stage that launched it and LRO, then impacted itself. Impacts in LQ30 quadrangle
Chang'e 2 1 October 2010 Chang Zheng 3C CNSA
PR China		 Orbiter Successful Following completion of six month Lunar mission, departed selenocentric orbit for Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point;[72] subsequently flew by asteroid 4179 Toutatis[73]
Ebb
(GRAIL-A)		 10 September 2011[74][75] Delta II 7920H NASA
United States		 Orbiter[76] Successful Part of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory,[77] impacted the Moon in LQ01 quadrangle on 17 December 2012 at end of mission.[78]
Flow
(GRAIL-B)		 10 September 2011[74][75] Delta II 7920H NASA
United States		 Orbiter[76] Successful Part of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory,[77] impacted the Moon in LQ01 quadrangle on 17 December 2012 at end of mission.[78]
LADEE 7 September 2013 Minotaur V NASA
United States		 Orbiter Successful Mission ended on 18 April 2014, when the spacecraft's controllers intentionally crashed LADEE into the far side of the Moon
Chang'e 3 1 December 2013 Chang Zheng 3B CNSA
PR China		 Lander/Rover Operational Entered orbit on 6 December 2013 with landing at 13:12 UTC on 14 December. Deployed Yutu rover, which landed on the Moon.
Chang'e 5-T1 23 October 2014 Chang Zheng 3C CNSA
PR China		 Flyby Operational Demonstration of re-entry capsule for Chang'e 5 sample-return mission at lunar return velocity.
4M 23 October 2014 Chang Zheng 3C LuxSpace
Luxembourg		 Flyby Successful Attached to third stage of CZ-3C used to launch Chang'e 5-T1

Proposed missions

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

Under development

Country Name Launch due Nature of mission
(Private) GLXP Astrobotic Technology 2017[79] landing and roving
(Private) GLXP Moon Express 2017[80] mining
(Private) GLXP SpaceIL 2017[81] landing and roving
 China Chang'e 5 2017[82] sample return
 China Chang'e 4 2018[83] landing and roving
 India Chandrayaan-2 2018[84][85][86] landing, roving, sample analyzing
 USA Lunar Flashlight 2018[87] searching for water ice deposits
 USA Lunar IceCube 2018
 USA LunaH-Map 2018
 USA SkyFire 2018
 Japan SELENE-2 2018[88]
 Japan SLIM[89] 2019[90] pinpoint landing, roving[91][92]
 China Chang'e 6 2020[93] sample return

Proposed

Space probe missions

The following robotic space probe missions have been proposed:

Country Name Launch due
 Russia Luna-Glob (Luna 27) 2025+
 South Korea Moon orbiter and lander[94][95] 2020+
 North Korea Moon mission[96] Unknown
(Private) OpenLuna 2020+
 UK Lunar Mission One[97] 2024[98]

Manned missions

Country Name Proposed
launch date		 Nature of proposed mission
 USA EM-2 2023[99] Manned test of Orion spacecraft in Lunar orbit
 Europe Aurora programme[100] 2024+ Manned moon landing; proposed by ESA.[101]
 Japan JAXA 2025[102] Manned moon landing; proposed by JAXA.[102]
 Russia Luna-Glob 2028[103] Manned lunar orbiter; proposed by Roscosmos[103]
 China CLEP 2025-2030[104] Manned moon landing; proposed by CNSA.[105][106]
 Russia Luna-Glob 2030[103] Manned lunar landing; proposed by Roscosmos[103]
 Russia Lunnyj Poligon 2037 Completion of robotic lunar base; proposed by Roscosmos

NB. Launch dates are aspirational and may change drastically as the planning and preparation progresses.

Cancelled or indefinitely postponed

Country Name Launch due
 Japan Lunar-A 2004 Integrated into Russia's Luna-Glob 1 mission[107]
 Germany LEO 2012 Mission postponed indefinitely due to budgetary constraints[108]
 UK MoonLITE[109][110] 2014
 USA Constellation program 2020 Mission cancelled by Congress[111]
 Europe Lunar Lander[112][113] 2018 Cancelled in 2012
 USA MoonRise[114] 2018 Not funded by NASA in 2011 funding competition
(Private) DSE-Alpha 2018[115] Mission to transport the first space tourists to fly around the Moon using Soyuz; proposed by Space Adventures (2005).[116][117][118]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  88. ↑ Japan to attempt unmanned lunar landing in 2018
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  99. ↑ NASA delays Orion capsule's first manned flight until 2023
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  111. ↑ NASA's 2011 Budget Should Allow Flexibility Despite Cuts, Space.com, 15 Apr 2011.
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