List of missions to the Moon

Last updated

The Luna programme was the first successful lunar programme, its Luna 1 (1959) being the first ever partially successful lunar mission RIAN archive 510848 Interplanetary station Luna 1 - blacked.jpg
The Luna programme was the first successful lunar programme, its Luna 1 (1959) being the first ever partially successful lunar mission
The first image taken of the far side of the Moon, returned by Luna 3 (1959) Luna 3 moon.jpg
The first image taken of the far side of the Moon, returned by Luna 3 (1959)

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

Contents

The first partially successful lunar mission was Luna 1 (January 1959), the first probe leaving Earth and flying 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] intentionally impacting 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. [3]

The first crewed missions to the Moon were pursued by 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, during which 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 had been 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 mission 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, and Pakistan. 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 similar Colour key:

  Successful  Failed
  Partially successful
MissionSpacecraftLaunch dateCarrier rocketOperatorMission typeOutcome
1 Pioneer 0

(Able I) [4]

Pioneer 017 August 1958 Thor DM-18 Able I [4] Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg USAF OrbiterLaunch failure
First attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; failed to orbit due to turbopump gearbox malfunction resulting in first-stage explosion. [4] Reached apogee of 16 kilometres (10 mi). [5]
2 Luna E-1 No.1 Luna E-1 No.1 23 September 1958 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated due to excessive vibration. [4] [6]
3 Pioneer 1

(Able II) [4]

Pioneer 111 October 1958 Thor DM-18 Able I [4] Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature second-stage cutoff due to accelerometer failure. Later known as Pioneer 1. [4] Reached apogee of 113,800 kilometres (70,700 mi). [7]
4 Luna E-1 No.2 Luna E-1 No.2 11 October 1958 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; carrier rocket exploded due to excessive vibration. [4] [6]
5 Pioneer 2

(Able III)

Pioneer 28 November 1958 Thor DM-18 Able I Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA OrbiterLaunch 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. [4] Reached apogee of 1,550 kilometres (960 mi). [8]
6 Luna E-1 No.3 Luna E-1 No.3 4 December 1958 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; seal failure in hydrogen peroxide pump cooling system resulted in core-stage underperformance. [4] [6]
7 Pioneer 3 Pioneer 3 6 December 1958 Juno II Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA FlybyLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature first-stage cutoff. [4] Reached apogee of 102,360 kilometres (63,600 mi). [9]
8 Luna 1

(E-1 No.4)

Luna 12 January 1959 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 ImpactorPartial failure
Carrier rocket guidance problem resulted in failure to impact Moon, flew past in a heliocentric orbit. [10] Closest approach 5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi) on 4 January. [11] First spacecraft to fly by the Moon.
9 Pioneer 4 Pioneer 4 3 March 1959 Juno II Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg NASA FlybyPartial failure
Second-stage overperformance resulted in flyby at greater altitude than expected, out of instrument range, with 58,983 kilometres (36,650 mi) of distance. [10] Closest approach at 22:25 UTC on 4 March. First U.S. spacecraft to leave Earth orbit. [12]
10 E-1A No.1 E-1A No.1 18 June 1959 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 ImpactorLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; guidance system malfunction. [10]
11 Luna 2

(E-1A No.2)

Luna 2 12 September 1959 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 ImpactorSuccess
Successful impact at 21:02 on 14 September 1959. First spacecraft to impact the lunar surface. [13] The impact made the Soviet Union the 1st country to impact the surface of the Moon.
12 Luna 3

(E-2A No.1)

Luna 3 4 October 1959 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 FlybySuccess
Returned the first images of the far side of the Moon . [14]
13 Pioneer P-3

Able IVB

Pioneer P-3 26 November 1959 Atlas-D Able Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg NASA OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; [15] payload fairing disintegrated due to design fault. [10]
14 Luna E-3 No.1 Luna E-3 No.1 15 April 1960 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 FlybyLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; premature third-stage cutoff. [16]
15 Luna E-3 No.2 Luna E-3 No.2 16 April 1960 Luna Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 FlybyLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; rocket disintegrated ten seconds after launch. [16]
16 Pioneer P-30

(Able VA)

Pioneer P-30 25 September 1960 Atlas-D Able Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; second-stage oxidizer system malfunction resulting in premature cutoff. [17] [16]
17 Pioneer P-31

(Able VB)

Pioneer P-31 15 December 1960 Atlas-D Able Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit, exploded 68 seconds after launch, at an altitude of 12.2 kilometres (7.6 mi). Second stage ignited while first stage was still attached and burning. [18] [16]
18 Ranger 3

(P-34)

Ranger 3 26 January 1962 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Ranger 3 landerLanderSpacecraft failure
Partial launch failure due to guidance problem; attempt to correct using spacecraft's engine resulted in it missing the Moon by 36,793 kilometres (22,862 mi). [19] [20]
19 Ranger 4

(P-35)

Ranger 4 23 April 1962 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Ranger 4 landerLanderSpacecraft failure
Failed to deploy solar panels, ran out of power ten hours after launch; incidental impact on the far side of the Moon on 26 April. First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon. [19] [21]

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

20 Ranger 5

(P-36)

Ranger 5 18 October 1962 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Ranger 5 landerLanderSpacecraft failure
Solar panels erroneously disengaged from power system, failed 8+34 hours after launch when batteries were depleted. [19] Missed the Moon as course correction was not completed. [22]
21 Luna E-6 No.2 Luna E-6 No.2 4 January 1963 Molniya-L Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 LanderLaunch failure
Failed to depart Low Earth orbit; [23] guidance system power failure prevented upper-stage ignition. [24]
22 Luna E-6 No.3 Luna E-6 No.3 3 February 1963 Molniya-L Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 LanderLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; guidance failure. [24]
23 Luna 4

(E-6 No.4)

Luna 4 2 April 1963 Molniya-L Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 LanderSpacecraft failure
Failed to perform mid-course correction, [24] remained in high Earth orbit until given escape velocity by orbital perturbation. [25]
24 Ranger 6

(P-54)

Ranger 6 30 January 1964 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSpacecraft failure
Impacted on 2 February 1964, failed to return images due to power system failure. [26] [27]
25 Luna E-6 No.6 Luna E-6 No.6 21 March 1964 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 LanderLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; third stage underperformed due to oxidiser valve failure. [26]
26 Luna E-6 No.5 Luna E-6 No.5 20 April 1964 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 LanderLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; power failure caused by broken connection resulted in premature third-stage cutoff. [26]
27 Ranger 7 Ranger 7 28 July 1964 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSuccess
Impacted on 30 July 1964 at 13:25:48 UTC. [28]
28 Ranger 8 Ranger 8 17 February 1965 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSuccess
Impacted on 20 February 1965 at 09:57:37 UTC. [29] [30]
29 Kosmos 60

(E-6 No.9)

Kosmos 60 12 March 1965 Molniya-L Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Upper stage failed to restart due to guidance system short circuit, [29] Failed to depart low Earth orbit. [31]
30 Ranger 9 Ranger 9 21 March 1965 Atlas LV-3 Agena-B Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSuccess
Impacted on 24 March 1965 at 14:08:20 UTC. [29] [32]
31 Luna E-6 No.8 Luna E-6 No.8 10 April 1965 Molniya-L Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Third stage failed to ignite due to loss of oxidiser pressure, failed to orbit. [29]
32 Luna 5

(E-6 No.10)

Luna 5 9 May 1965 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Loss of control after gyroscope malfunction, [29] failed to decelerate for landing and impacted the Moon at 19:10 UTC on 12 May 1965. [33]
33 Luna 6

(E-6 No.7)

Luna 6 8 June 1965 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Engine failed to shut down after performing mid-course correction manoeuvre, [29] flew past the Moon in a heliocentric orbit. [34]
34 Zond 3

(3MV-4 No.3)

Zond 3 18 July 1965 Molniya Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybySuccess
Flew past the Moon on 20 July 1965 at a distance of 9,200 kilometres (5,700 mi). [35] Conducted technology demonstration for future planetary missions. [29]
35 Luna 7

(E-6 No.11)

Luna 7 4 October 1965 Molniya Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Attitude control failure shortly before landing prevented controlled descent; impacted the lunar surface 22:08:24 UTC on 7 October 1965. [29] [36]
36 Luna 8

(E-6 No.12)

Luna 8 3 December 1965 Molniya Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Landing airbag punctured, resulting in loss of attitude control shortly before planned touchdown, [29] impacted Moon on 6 December 1965 at 21:51:30 UTC. [37]
37 Luna 9

(E-6 No.13)

Luna 9 31 January 1966 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
First spacecraft to land successfully on the Moon. Touchdown on 3 February 1966 at 18:45:30 UTC. [38] Returned data until 6 February at 22:55 UTC. [39]
38 Kosmos 111

(E-6S No.204)

Kosmos 111 1 March 1966 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterLaunch failure
Upper stage lost attitude control and failed to ignite; [39] spacecraft never left low Earth orbit. [40]
39 Luna 10

(E-6S No.206)

Luna 10 31 March 1966 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit at 18:44 UTC on 3 April 1966, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon. [41] Continued to return data until 30 May. [39]
40 Surveyor 1 Surveyor 1 30 May 1966 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSuccess
Landed in Oceanus Procellarum on 2 June 1966 at 06:17:36 UTC. [39] Returned data until loss of power on 13 July. [42] With its soft landing, the United States became the second country to successfully land on the lunar surface.
41 Explorer 33

(AIMP-D)

Explorer 33 1 July 1966 Delta E1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterLaunch failure
Magnetospheric probe; rocket imparted greater velocity than had been planned, leaving spacecraft unable to enter orbit. [39] Repurposed for Earth orbit mission which was completed successfully. [43]
42 Lunar Orbiter 1 Lunar Orbiter 1 10 August 1966 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterPartial 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. [44]
43 Luna 11

(E-6LF No.101)

Luna 11 21 August 1966 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterPartial failure
Entered orbit on 28 August 1966. Failed to return images; other instruments operated correctly. [39] 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. [45]

44 Surveyor 2 Surveyor 2 20 September 1966 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSpacecraft failure
One thruster failed to ignite during mid-course correction manoeuvre, resulting in loss of control. [39] Impacted the Moon at 03:18 UTC on 23 September 1966. [46]
45 Luna 12

(E-6LF No.102)

Luna 12 22 October 1966 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit on 25 October 1966 and returned data until 19 January 1967. [47] Completed photography mission intended for Luna 11. [39]
46 Lunar Orbiter 2 Lunar Orbiter 2 6 November 1966 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
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. [48]
47 Luna 13

(E-6M No.205)

Luna 13 21 December 1966 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
Successfully landed in Oceanus Procellarum at 18:01 UTC on 24 December 1966. [39] Returned images from the surface and studied the lunar soil. [49] Operated until depletion of power at 06:31 UTC on 28 December. [39]
48 Lunar Orbiter 3 Lunar Orbiter 3 5 February 1967 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Entered orbit at 21:54 UTC on 8 February 1967. Deorbited at end of mission and impacted the Moon on 9 October 1967. [50]
49 Surveyor 3 Surveyor 3 17 April 1967 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSuccess
Landed at 00:04 UTC on 20 April 1967 and operated until 3 May. [51] [52] Visited by Apollo 12 astronauts in 1969, with some parts removed for return to Earth. [53]
50 Lunar Orbiter 4 Lunar Orbiter 4 4 May 1967 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
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. [51] [54]
51 Surveyor 4 Surveyor 4 14 July 1967 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSpacecraft failure
Contact with spacecraft lost at 02:03 UTC on 17 July, two and a half minutes before scheduled landing. [51] NASA determined that the spacecraft may have exploded, otherwise it impacted the Moon. [55]
52 Explorer 35
(AIMP-E)
Explorer 35
(AIMP-E)
19 July 1967 Delta E1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Magnetospheric probe, studying the Moon and interplanetary space. Deactivated on 27 June 1973. [56] Presumed to have impacted the Moon during the 1970s. [57]
53 Lunar Orbiter 5 Lunar Orbiter 5 1 August 1967 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
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. [58]
54 Surveyor 5 Surveyor 5 8 September 1967 Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSuccess
Landed in Mare Tranquillitatis at 00:46:44 UTC on 11 September. Last signals received at 04:30 UTC on 17 December 1967. [59]
55 Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L 27 September 1967 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybySpacecraft failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Failed to reach orbit after a blocked propellant line caused one of the first-stage engines to not ignite. [51]
56 Surveyor 6 Surveyor 6 7 November 1967 Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSuccess
Landed in Sinus Medii at 01:01:04 UTC on 10 November. [51] 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. [60]
57 Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L 22 November 1967 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybyLaunch failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions; unable to achieve orbit after second-stage engine failed to ignite. [51]
58 Surveyor 7 Surveyor 7 7 January 1968 Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Flag of the United States.svg NASA LanderSuccess
Final Surveyor mission. [61] Landed 29 kilometres (18 mi) from Tycho crater at 01:05:36 UTC on 10 January. Operated until 21 February 1968. [62]
59 Luna E-6LS No.112 Luna E-6LS No.112 7 February 1968 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit after third stage ran out of fuel. [62]
60 Luna 14

(E-6LS No.113)

Luna 14 7 April 1968 Molniya-M Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterSuccess
Tested communications for proposed crewed missions and studied the mass concentration of the Moon. Entered orbit on 10 April at 19:25 UTC. [63]
61 Soyuz 7K-L1 No.7L Soyuz 7K-L1 No.7L 22 April 1968 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybyLaunch failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Failed to orbit after second-stage engine incorrectly commanded to shut down. Spacecraft was recovered using its prototype launch escape system. [62]
62 Zond 5

(7K-L1 No.9L)

Zond 5 14 September 1968 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybySuccess
Two tortoises and other life forms on board a technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Made a closest approach of 1,950 kilometres (1,210 mi) 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. [64]
63 Zond 6

(7K-L1 No.12L)

Zond 6 10 November 1968 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybySpacecraft failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Carrying turtles, making this the second mission of Earthlings to travel in close proximity of the Moon, the flyby was on 14 November with a closest approach of 2,420 kilometres (1,500 mi). [65] Reentered Earth's atmosphere on 17 November; recovery was unsuccessful after parachutes were prematurely jettisoned. [62]
64 Apollo 8 Apollo 8 21 December 1968 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA Crewed orbiterSuccess
First crewed mission to the Moon; entered orbit around the Moon with four-minute burn beginning at 09:59:52 UTC on 24 December. Completed ten orbits of the Moon 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. [66]
65 Soyuz 7K-L1 No.13L Soyuz 7K-L1 No.13L 20 January 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybyLaunch failure
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Failed to orbit after one of the four second-stage engines shut down prematurely. Third-stage engine also shut down prematurely. The spacecraft was recovered using its launch escape system. [67]
66 Luna E-8 No.201 Luna E-8 No.201 19 February 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Lunokhod RoverLaunch failure
First launch of the Lunokhod rover. Launch vehicle disintegrated 51 seconds after launch and exploded. [68]
67 Soyuz 7K-L1S No.3 Soyuz 7K-L1S No.3 21 February 1969 N1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 OrbiterLaunch 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. [68]
68 Apollo 10 Apollo 10 18 May 1969 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module SnoopyOrbiterSuccess
Dress rehearsal for Apollo 11. Lunar Module with two astronauts on board descended to a distance of 14.326 kilometres (8.902 mi) above the lunar surface. [69]
69 Luna E-8-5 No.402 Luna E-8-5 No.402 14 June 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Luna E-8-5 No.402 return craftSample ReturnLaunch failure
Intended to land on the Moon and return lunar soil sample. Did not reach Earth orbit after fourth stage failed to ignite. [67]
70 Soyuz 7K-L1S No.5 Soyuz 7K-L1S No.5 3 July 1969 N1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 OrbiterLaunch 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. [68]
71 Luna 15

(E-8-5 No.401)

Luna 15 13 July 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Luna 15 return craftSample ReturnLaunch 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 three minutes after de-orbit burn; probably crashed on the Moon. [68]
72 Apollo 11 Apollo 11 16 July 1969 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module Eagle Lander/Launch VehicleSuccess
First crewed landing on the Moon. The Lunar Module Eagle landed at 20:17 UTC on 20 July 1969.
73 Zond 7

(7K-L1 No.11L)

Zond 7 7 August 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybySuccess
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions. Carried four turtles in a 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. [68]
74 Kosmos 300

(E-8-5 No.403)

Kosmos 300 23 September 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Kosmos 300 return craftSample returnLaunch failure
Third attempt at lunar sample return. After reaching low Earth orbit, the fourth-stage engine failed to fire for trans-lunar injection due to oxidiser leak. Spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere about 4 days after launch. [68]
75 Kosmos 305

(E-8-5 No.404)

Kosmos 305 22 October 1969 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Kosmos 305 return craftSample ReturnLaunch failure
Fourth attempt at lunar sample return. After reaching low Earth orbit, the fourth-stage engine failed to fire for trans-lunar injection due to control system malfunction. Spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere within one orbit after launch. [68]
76 Apollo 12 Apollo 12 14 November 1969 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module IntrepidLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Second crewed lunar landing.
77 Luna E-8-5 No.405 Luna E-8-5 No.405 6 February 1970 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Luna E-8-5 No.405 return craftSample returnLaunch failure
Failed to orbit
78 Apollo 13 Apollo 13 11 April 1970 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSpacecraft failure
Lunar Module Aquarius11 April 1970 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA Rescue missionSuccess
Lunar landing aborted following Service Module oxygen tank explosion en route to the Moon; flew past the Moon (free-return trajectory) and returned the crew safely to Earth.
79 Luna 16

(E-8-5 No.406)

Luna 16 12 September 1970 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
Luna 16 return craftSample returnSuccess
First robotic sampling mission.
80 Zond 8

(7K-L1 No.14L)

Zond 8 20 October 1970 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin FlybySuccess
Technology demonstration for planned crewed missions; returned to Earth successfully.
81 Luna 17

(E-8 No.203)

Luna 17 10 November 1970 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
Lunokhod 1 RoverSuccess
Luna 17 deployed Lunokhod 1.
82 Apollo 14 Apollo 14 31 January 1971 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module AntaresLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Third crewed lunar landing.
83 Apollo 15 Apollo 15 26 July 1971 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module FalconLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Lunar Roving Vehicle RoverSuccess
Fourth crewed lunar landing, and first to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
84 PFS-1 PFS-1 26 July 1971 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
PFS-1 was deployed from Apollo 15.
85 Luna 18

(E-8-5 No.407)

Luna 18 2 September 1971 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSpacecraft failure
Luna 18 return craftSample returnSpacecraft failure
Failed during descent to lunar surface.
86 Luna 19

(E-8LS No.202)

Luna 1928 September 1971 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterSuccess
Entered an orbit around the Moon on 2 October 1971 after two midcourse corrections on 29 September and 1 October.
87 Luna 20

(E-8-5 No.408)

Luna 20 14 February 1972 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
Luna 20 return craftSample returnSuccess
Luna 20 soft landed on the Moon in a mountainous area known as the Terra Apollonius (or Apollonius highlands) near Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility), 120 km from where Luna 16 had landed.
88 Apollo 16 Apollo 16 16 April 1972 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module OrionLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Lunar Roving Vehicle RoverSuccess
5th crewed lunar landing.
89 PFS-2 PFS-2 16 April 1972 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
PFS-2 deployed from Apollo 16.
90 Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1 Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1 23 November 1972 N1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg OKB-1 OrbiterLaunch failure
Failed to orbit; intended to orbit the Moon and return to Earth.
91 Apollo 17 Apollo 17 7 December 1972 Saturn V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Lunar Module ChallengerLander/Launch VehicleSuccess
Lunar Roving Vehicle RoverSuccess
Sixth and last crewed lunar landing and last use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle; the orbiting command module included five mice.
92 Luna 21

(E-8 No.204)

Luna 21 8 January 1973 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
Lunokhod 2 RoverSuccess
Deployed Lunokhod 2.
93 Explorer 49

(RAE-B)

Explorer 49 10 June 1973 Delta 1913 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Radio astronomy spacecraft, operated in selenocentric orbit to avoid interference from terrestrial radio sources.
94 Mariner 10 Mariner 10 3 November 1973 Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
Interplanetary spacecraft, mapped lunar north pole to test cameras.
95 Luna 22

(E-8LS No.206)

Luna 22 29 May 1974 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin OrbiterSuccess
Inserted into a circular lunar orbit on 2 June 1974
96 Luna 23

(E-8-5M No.410)

Luna 23 16 October 1975 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderPartial failure
Luna 23 return craftSample ReturnPrecluded
Tipped over upon landing, precluding any sample return attempt. Functioned for three days on surface.
97 Luna E-8-5M No.412 Luna E-8-5M No.412 16 October 1975 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderLaunch failure
Luna E-8-5M No.412 return craftSample ReturnLaunch failure
Failed to orbit.
98 Luna 24

(E-8-5M No.413)

Luna 24 9 August 1976 Proton-K/D Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin LanderSuccess
Luna 24 return craftSample ReturnSuccess
Entered orbit on 11 August 1976 and landed in Mare Crisium at 16:36 UTC on 18 August. Sample capsule launched at 05:25 UTC on 19 August and recovered 96+12 hours later. [70] Returned 170.1 grams (6.00 oz) of lunar regolith. [71] Final mission to the Moon from the Soviet Union.
99 ISEE-3

(ICE/Explorer 59)

ISEE-3 12 August 1978 Delta 2914 Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
Five flybys in 1982 and 1983 en route to comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner.
100 Hiten

(MUSES-A)

Hiten 24 January 1990 Mu-3S-II Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS OrbiterSuccess
Hagoromo 24 January 1990 Mu-3S-II Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS OrbiterSpacecraft failure
Designed for flyby, placed into selenocentric orbit during extended mission after failure of Hagoromo. Deorbited and impacted in USGS quadrangle LQ27 on 10 April 1993. [72] Hagoromo was deployed from Hiten. The impact made Japan the 3rd country to impact the surface of the Moon.
101 Geotail Geotail 24 July 1992 Delta II 6925 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Flag of the United States.svg ISAS/NASA FlybySuccess
Series of flybys to regulate high Earth orbit.
102 WIND WIND 1 November 1994 Delta II 7925-10 Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
Made two flybys on 1 December 1994 and 27 December 1994 to reach the Earth–Sun L1 Lagrangian point.
103 Clementine

(DSPSE)

Clementine 25 January 1994 Titan II (23)G Star-37FM Flag of the United States.svg USAF/NASA OrbiterSuccess
Completed Lunar objectives successfully; failed following departure from selenocentric orbit.
104 HGS-1 HGS-1 24 December 1997 Proton-K/DM3 Flag of the United States.svg Hughes FlybySuccess
Communications satellite; made two flybys in May and June 1998 en route to geosynchronous orbit after delivery into wrong orbit.
105 Lunar Prospector

(Discovery 3)

Lunar Prospector 7 January 1998 Athena II Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
The mission ended on July 31, 1999
106 Nozomi

(PLANET-B)

Nozomi 3 July 1998 M-V Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg ISAS FlybySuccess
Two flybys en route to Mars.

21st century

Legend

⚀ Cubesat or similar

Colour key:

  Successful  Failed
  Partially successful
  Operational
MissionSpacecraftLaunch dateCarrier rocketOperatorMission typeOutcome
107 WMAP WMAP 30 June 2001 Delta II 7425-10 Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
Flyby on 30 July 2001 to reach the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point.
108 SMART-1 SMART-1 27 September 2003 Ariane 5G Flag of Europe.svg ESA OrbiterSuccess
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.
109 STEREO STEREO A25 October 2006 Delta II 7925-10L Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
STEREO BSuccess
Both component spacecraft entered heliocentric orbit on 15 December 2006.
110 ARTEMIS ARTEMIS P1 17 February 2007 Delta II 7925 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterOperational
ARTEMIS P2 OrbiterOperational
Two THEMIS spacecraft moved to selenocentric orbit for extended mission; entered orbit July 2011.
111 SELENE Kaguya 14 September 2007 H-IIA 2022 Flag of Japan.svg JAXA OrbiterSuccess
Okina OrbiterSuccess
Ouna OrbiterSuccess
Deployed Okina and Ouna satellites. Kaguya and Okina impacted the Moon at end of mission. [73] Ouna completed operations on 29 June 2009 [3] but remains in selenocentric orbit.
112 Chang'e 1 Chang'e 1 24 October 2007 Long March 3A Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterSuccess
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.
113 Chandrayaan-1 Chandrayaan-1 22 October 2008 PSLV-XL C11 Flag of India.svg ISRO OrbiterSuccess
Moon Impact Probe ImpactorSuccess
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.
114 LRO & LCROSS Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 18 June 2009 Atlas V 401 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterOperational
LCROSS 18 June 2009 Atlas V 401 Flag of the United States.svg NASA ImpactorSuccess
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.
116 Chang'e 2 Chang'e 2 1 October 2010 Long March 3C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterSuccess
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]
117 GRAIL Ebb

(GRAIL-A)

10 September 2011 [78] [79] Delta II 7920H Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Flow

(GRAIL-B)

OrbiterSuccess
Impacted the Moon in USGS quadrangle LQ01 on 17 December 2012 at end of mission. [80]
118 LADEE LADEE 7 September 2013 Minotaur V Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
Mission ended on 18 April 2014, when the spacecraft's controllers intentionally crashed LADEE into the far side of the Moon.
119 Chang'e 3 Chang'e 3 1 December 2013 Long March 3B Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA LanderOperational
Yutu 1 December 2013 Long March 3B Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA RoverSuccess
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.
120 Chang'e 5-T1 Chang'e 5-T1 23 October 2014 Long March 3C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterOperational
Chang'e 5-T1 Return Capsule23 October 2014 Long March 3C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterSuccess
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission 23 October 2014 Long March 3C Flag of Luxembourg.svg LuxSpace Flyby / Impactor (post mission)Success
Demonstration of re-entry capsule for Chang'e 5 sample-return mission at lunar return velocity. Orbiter may still be in lunar orbit. Manfred Memorial Moon Mission attached to third stage of CZ-3C used to launch Chang'e 5-T1. Impacted the Moon on 4 March 2022. The impact made Luxembourg the 8th country to impact the surface of the Moon.
122 TESS TESS 18 April 2018 Falcon 9 Full Thrust Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
Flyby on 17 May 2018 to designated high Earth orbit. [81]
123 Queqiao Queqiao relay satellite 21 May 2018 Long March 4C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA Relay SatelliteOperational
Longjiang-1 21 May 2018 Long March 4C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterSpacecraft failure
Longjiang-2 21 May 2018 Long March 4C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterSuccess
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 L2 orbit on 14 June in preparation of Chang'e 4 far-side lunar lander in December 2018.
124 Chang'e 4 Chang'e 4 7 December 2018 Long March 3B Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA LanderOperational
Yutu-2 RoverOperational
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]
125 Beresheet Beresheet 22 February 2019 Falcon 9 Flag of Israel.svg SpaceIL LanderSpacecraft failure
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.
126 Chandrayaan-2 Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter22 July 2019 LVM3 Flag of India.svg ISRO OrbiterOperational
Vikram22 July 2019 LVM3 Flag of India.svg ISRO LanderSpacecraft failure
Pragyan RoverPrecluded
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]
127 Chang'e 5 Chang'e 5 Orbiter23 November 2020 Long March 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterOperational
Chang'e 5 Lander23 November 2020 Long March 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA LanderSuccess
Chang'e 5 AscenderLaunch VehicleSuccess
Chang'e 5 ReturnerSample ReturnSuccess
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]
128 CAPSTONE CAPSTONE 28 June 2022 [92] Electron Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterOperational
Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station.
131 Danuri Danuri4 August 2022 [92] Falcon 9 Flag of South Korea.svg KARI Orbiter [93] [94] Operational
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.
132 Artemis 1 Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-00216 November 2022 [95] SLS Block 1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSuccess
LunaH-Map 16 November 2022 [95] SLS Block 1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSpacecraft failure
Lunar IceCube OrbiterSpacecraft failure
CubeSat for Solar Particles FlybySpacecraft failure
Near-Earth Asteroid Scout FlybySpacecraft failure
OMOTENASHI Flag of Japan.svg JAXA LanderSpacecraft failure
ArgoMoon 16 November 2022 [95] SLS Block 1 Flag of Italy.svg ASI FlybysOperational
EQUULEUS Flag of Japan.svg JAXA FlybysOperational
LunIR 16 November 2022 [95] SLS Block 1 Flag of the United States.svg Lockheed Martin FlybySuccess
BioSentinel 16 November 2022 [95] SLS Block 1 Flag of the United States.svg NASA FlybySuccess
Team Miles 16 November 2022 [95] SLS Block 1 Flag of the United States.svg Fluid & ReasonFlybySuccess
Uncrewed test of Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and lunar Distant retrograde orbit.
133 Hakuto-R Mission 1 Hakuto-R 11 December 2022 Falcon 9 Block 5 Flag of Japan.svg ispace LanderSpacecraft failure
SORA-Q Flag of Japan.svg Tomy/JAXA/Dodai RoverPrecluded
Rashid Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg UAESA/MBRSC RoverPrecluded
Lunar Flashlight Flag of the United States.svg NASA OrbiterSpacecraft failure
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]
135 Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer 14 April 2023 Ariane 5 ECA Flag of Europe.svg ESA FlybyEn route
Will fly by the Moon in August 2024 en route to Ganymede.
136 Chandrayaan-3 Chandrayaan-3 14 July 2023 LVM3 Flag of India.svg ISRO OrbiterSuccess
Vikram lander LanderSuccess
Pragyan rover RoverSuccess
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 land successfully on the lunar surface. Later during extended operations, the Propulsion Module returned to Earth's orbit.
137 Luna 25 Luna 25 10 August 2023 Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos LanderSpacecraft failure
Launched on 10 August 2023, Orbital insertion on 16 August 2023, failed orbital maneuver on 19 August 2023 set the spacecraft on the crash course with the Moon's surface. Loss of communication was confirmed by Roscosmos on 20 August 2023. The impact made Russia the 10th country to impact the lunar surface.
138 SLIM SLIM6 September 2023 H-IIA Flag of Japan.svg JAXA LanderSuccess
LEV-1HopperSuccess
LEV-2 (Sora-Q) Flag of Japan.svg Tomy / JAXA / Doshisha University RoverSuccess
Launched alongside XRISM as a co-passenger on 7 September 2023. Performed lunar swing-by, followed by lunar orbital insertion on 25 December 2023. SLIM landed intact and within 100 m of its target on 19 January 2024, 15:20 UTC, which met JAXA's criteria for a successful landing. [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.
139 Peregrine Mission One Peregrine8 January 2024 Vulcan Centaur VC2 Flag of the United States.svg Astrobotic Technology LanderSpacecraft failure
Colmena × 5 Flag of Mexico.svg UNAM RoversPrecluded
Iris Flag of the United States.svg CMU RoverPrecluded
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.
140 IM-1 Nova-C Odysseus 14 February 2024 Falcon 9 B5 Flag of the United States.svg Intuitive Machines LanderSuccess
EagleCam 14 February 2024 Falcon 9 B5 Flag of the United States.svg ERAU Deployable cameraSpacecraft failure
First Nova-C mission. First private spacecraft to soft land on the Moon. Payloads successfully delivered for NASA CLPS and for private customers. Though it landed successfully, one of the lander's legs broke upon landing and it tilted up on other side, 18° due to landing on a slope, but the lander survived and payloads are functioning as expected. [101] EagleCam was not ejected prior to landing. It was later ejected on the 28th of February but minimal data was obtained. [102] [103]
141DRO A/BDRO-A13 March 2024 Long March 2C Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CAS Relay SatelliteEn route
DRO-BRelay SatelliteEn route
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. [105]
142 Queqiao-2 Queqiao-2 20 March 2024 Long March 8 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA Relay SatelliteOperational
Tiandu-1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL, Tiandu Lab) [106] OrbiterOperational
Tiandu-2 OrbiterOperational
Relay satellite to support future missions of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program targeting south pole region. [107] Tiandu satellites are launched with them to test communications for future lunar satellite constellation technologies. [108]
143 Chang'e 6 Chang'e 6 Orbiter3 May 2024 [109] Long March 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA OrbiterOperational
Chang'e 6 Lander3 May 2024 [109] Long March 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA LanderSuccess
Chang'e 6 AscenderLaunch VehicleSuccess
Chang'e 6 ReturnerSample ReturnSuccess
Jinchan [110] RoverSuccess
ICUBE-Q [111] 3 May 2024 [109] Long March 5 Flag of Pakistan.svg SUPARCO [lower-alpha 1] [113] OrbiterOperational
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

Map of soft landings on the lunar near side Moon landing sites.svg
Map of soft landings on the lunar near side

Launches by decade

Launches to Moon
Decade
    1950s
    13
    1960s
    63
    1970s
    23
    1980s
    0
    1990s
    7
    2000s
    9
    2010s
    12
    2020s
    15

    This is a list of 142 missions (including failed ones) to the Moon. It includes Flybys, Impact probes, orbiters, landers, rovers and crewed missions.

    Mission milestones by country

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

    Legend

      Attempted Milestone achieved
      Attempted Milestone not achieved
    First to achieve

    Country/

    Agency

    Flyby [lower-alpha 2] OrbitImpactSoft landingRoverSample returnCrewed orbitingCrewed landing
    Flag of the United States.svg United States Pioneer 4, 1959 Lunar Orbiter 1, 1966 Ranger 4, 1962 Surveyor 1, 1966 LRV (Apollo 15), 1971 Apollo 11, 1969 Apollo 8, 1968Apollo 11, 1969 †
    Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union Luna 1, 1959 Luna 10, 1966 Luna 2, 1959 Luna 9, 1966 Lunokhod 1, 1970 Luna 16, 1970
    Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Chang'e 5-T1, 2014 Chang'e 1, 2007 Chang'e 1, 2009 Chang'e 3, 2013 Yutu, 2013 Chang'e 5, 2020
    Flag of India.svg India Chandrayaan 3, 2023 Chandrayaan 1, 2008 MIP, 2008 Chandrayaan 3, 2023 Pragyan, 2023
    Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan Hiten, 1990 Hiten, 1993Hiten, 1993 SLIM, 2024 LEV-1, 2024
    Flag of Israel.svg Israel Beresheet, 2019 Beresheet, 2019Beresheet, 2019
    Flag of Russia.svg Russia Luna 25, 2023 Luna 25, 2023Luna 25, 2023
    European Space Agency logo.svg ESA SMART-1, 2003 SMART-1, 2006
    Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg 4M, 2014 4M, 2022
    Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea Danuri, 2022
    Flag of Italy.svg Italy ArgoMoon, 2022
    Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg UAE Rashid, 2023 Rashid, 2023
    Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan ICUBE-Q, 2024 ICUBE-Q, 2024
    Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico Colmena, 2024

    Missions by organization/company

    Analysis of numbers of lunar missions
    Country/

    Agency

    Agency
    or company
    SuccessfulPartial
    failure
    FailureSuccess rateOperational
    TotalTotal for
    country
    Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR Lavochkin 1622240%-4058
    Energia 2-1611.11%-18
    Flag of the United States.svg  USA NASA 3721467.27%45557
    USAF 1-150%-2
    Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China CNSA 9-190%71010
    Flag of Japan.svg  Japan ISAS 2-250%-48
    JAXA 2-166.6%14
    Flag of India.svg  India ISRO 21-83.26%233
    European Space Agency logo.svg Various member states ESA 1--100%-11
    Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg LuxSpace 1--100%-11
    Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea KARI 1--100%111
    Flag of the United States.svg  USA (private company) Lockheed Martin 1--100%-11
    Flag of the United States.svg  USA (private company)Fluid & Reason1--100%-11
    Flag of the United States.svg  USA (private company) Astrobotic Technology --10%-11
    Flag of the United States.svg  USA (private company) Intuitive Machines 1--100%111
    Flag of the United States.svg  USA (private university) ERAU --10%-11
    Flag of Italy.svg Italy ASI 1--100%-11
    Flag of Israel.svg  Israel SpaceIL --10%-11
    Flag of Russia.svg Russia Roscosmos --10%-11
    Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg UAE UAESA --10%-11
    Flag of Japan.svg  Japan (private company) ispace --10%-11
    Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan IST / SUPARCO 1--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-2 Nova-C Q4 2024 [116] Falcon 9 B5 Flag of the United States.svg Intuitive Machines Lander
    Khon1Relay Satellite
    μNovaHopper
    MAPP Flag of the United States.svg Lunar Outpost

    Flag of Finland.svg Nokia

    Rover
    AstroAnt [117] Flag of the United States.svg MIT Rover
    Yaoki [118] Flag of Japan.svg 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-ES Q4 2024 [116] Falcon 9 B5 Flag of the United States.svg Spaceflight Industries Gravity Assist
    Lunar Trailblazer Flag of the United States.svg NASA Orbiter
    Lunar flyby towards geostationary orbit, payload delivery.
    Hakuto-R Mission 2 Hakuto-R 2024 [121] Falcon 9 B5 Flag of Japan.svg ispace Lander
    Ispace rover Flag of Luxembourg.svg Ispace Europe Rover
    Rover for collecting lunar resources and other commercial payloads.
    Blue Ghost M1Blue Ghost Lander2024 Falcon 9 B5 Flag of the United States.svg Firefly Aerospace Lander
    Lunar lander, carrying NASA-sponsored experiments and commercial payloads to Mare Crisium. [122] [123]
    IM-3 Nova-C Q1 2025 [116] [124] Falcon 9 B5 Flag of the United States.svg Intuitive Machines Lander
    Khon2Relay Satellite
    CADRE x3 Flag of the United States.svg NASA Rovers
    Lunar Vertex Flag of the United States.svg NASA Flag of the United States.svg Lunar OutpostRover
    Third Nova-C. Payloads delivery for NASA's CLPS and for private customers. [119] Lunar Vertex mission.
    Starship Demo mission Starship HLS 2025 [125] Starship Flag of the United States.svg SpaceX Lander
    Uncrewed demo mission of Starship HLS.
    DESTINY+ DESTINY+ 2025 [126] Epsilon S Flag of Japan.svg JAXA Flyby
    Lunar flyby toward asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
    Griffin Mission 1 [127] Griffin lander2025 [128] Falcon Heavy Flag of the United States.svg Astrobotic Technology Lander
    PPE and HALO [129] PPE NET 2025 [125] Falcon Heavy Flag of the United States.svg NASA

    Flag of the United States.svg Northrop Grumman

    Space station assembly
    HALO
    First two modules of Lunar Gateway.
    Lunar Polar Exploration Mission LUPEX lander2026 [130] H3 Flag of India.svg ISRO Lander
    LUPEX rover Flag of Japan.svg JAXA Rover
    Lander and rover, part of Chandrayaan programme. [131]
    Artemis 3 Starship HLS delivery Starship HLS 2026 Starship Flag of the United States.svg SpaceX Lander
    Delivery of Starship HLS for Artemis 3 mission.
    TBD (CLPS Lander) [132] Moon to Mars Initiative: Trailblazer (Roo-ver) [133] 2026TBD Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australian Space Agency Rover
    APEX 1.0APEX 1.02026 [134] TBD Flag of the United States.svg ispace U.S.

    Flag of the United States.svg Draper

    Lander
    Lunar Relay Satellite 1 [135] Flag of the United States.svg ispace U.S.

    Flag of the United States.svg Blue Canyon Technologies

    Relay Satellite
    Lunar Relay Satellite 2 [135] Relay Satellite
    Lunar lander. ispace Mission 3, and mission CP-12 of the CLPS program.
    Blue Ghost M2 [136] Blue Ghost lander2026TBD Flag of the United States.svg Firefly Aerospace Lander
    Elytra orbital vehicleOrbiter
    Second mission of Firefly Aerospace, part of CLPS, includes 2 stage variant of blue ghost.
    Lunar PathfinderLunar Pathfinder2026TBD Flag of Europe.svg ESA Relay Satellite
    Lunar communications satellite to support future lunar missions.
    Chang'e 7 Chang'e 7Orbiter2026 [137] Long March 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA Orbiter
    Chang'e 7LanderLander
    Chang'e 7RoverRover
    Chang'e 7HopperHopper
    Payloads include an orbiter, south pole lander, rover, and a mini flying probe to look for the presence of water-ice. [137]
    Starship cargo mission Starship HLS2026 Starship Flag of the United States.svg SpaceX Lander
    First SpaceX lunar cargo mission, yet to be announced by SpaceX itself.
    FLEX [138] FLEX 2026 Starship Flag of the United States.svg Astrolab Rover
    Large Lunar rover, can accommodate cargo and 2 astronauts.
    Astrobotic mission 3 [139] TBA2026 Falcon Heavy Flag of the United States.svg Astrobotic Lander
    LunaGrid-Lite CubeRover Rover
    Third lunar mission by Astrobotic, will land at lunar south pole. LunaGrid-Lite mission.
    Canadian lunar rover missionCanadensys Lunar Rover2026TBD Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canadensys

    Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CSA

    Rover
    First Canadian lunar rover. Will fly as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. [140]
    ZeusXZeusX service moduleQ4 2027TBD Flag of Singapore.svg Qosmosys Orbiter
    ZeusX lunar landerLander
    LIBERRover
    First lunar landing attempt for Singapore, lander can carry up to 800 kg to lunar surface.
    Luna 26 Luna 26 2027 [141] Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos Orbiter
    Orbiter, part of the Luna-Glob programme. [142] Will scout for Luna 27 landing site.
    Luna 27 Luna 27 2028 [141] Angara A5 / Fregat Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos Lander
    Lander, part of Luna-Glob programme.
    Luna 27 (Backup) Luna 27 2028 Angara A5 / Fregat Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos Lander
    Backup for Luna 27, will launch a few months after Luna 27.
    Chang'e 8 Chang'e 8Orbiter2028 [143] Long March 5 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA Orbiter
    Chang'e 8LanderLander
    Chang'e 8RoverRover
    Chang'e 8 RobotHopper
    South pole lander. [144] Testing technology for using local resources and manufacturing with 3D printing. [145]
    SpaceX GLS-1 [146] Dragon XL2028 Falcon Heavy Flag of the United States.svg SpaceX Resupply vehicle
    First resupply mission to Lunar Gateway.
    Uncrewed Blue Moon Demo mission Blue Moon HLS 2028 New Glenn Flag of the United States.svg Blue Origin Lander
    Cislunar Transporter2028 New Glenn Flag of the United States.svg Lockheed Martin Transfer vehicle
    Demo mission of Blue Moon lander system in preparation for crewed landing in 2029.
    Artemis 4 Starship HLS delivery Starship HLS 2028 Starship Flag of the United States.svg SpaceX Lander
    Delivery of Starship HLS for Artemis 4 mission.
    Artemis 5 Blue Moon HLS delivery Blue Moon HLS 2028 New Glenn Flag of the United States.svg Blue Origin Lander
    Cislunar Transporter2028 New Glenn Flag of the United States.svg Lockheed Martin Transfer vehicle
    Delivery of Blue Moon HLS for Artemis 5 mission.
    Argonaut M1 Argonaut Lander2031 [147] Ariane 64 Flag of Europe.svg ESA Lander
    Robotic Lander system. Will act as resupply vehicle for future Moonbase. [148]
    Lunar Voyage 3 [149] [150] MappTBATBA Flag of the United States.svg Lunar OutpostRover
    First fully commercial mission of Lunar Outpost MAPP program.

    Crewed

    Agency or companyNameSpacecraftLaunch dateLaunch vehicleNotes
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA

    Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CSA

    Artemis 2 Orion September 2025 [125] SLS Block 1Crewed test of the Orion spacecraft on a free-return trajectory around the Moon.
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA Artemis 3 Orion, Starship HLS September 2026 [125] SLS Block 1Deliver the "first woman and next man" to the Moon.
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA Artemis 4 Orion, Starship HLS September 2028 [151] SLS Block 1BFirst flight of Block 1B configuration. Deliver I-HAB and conduct second Artemis crewed lunar landing.
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA Artemis 5 Orion, Blue Moon HLS September 2029 [152] SLS Block 1BCrewed Gateway and Surface expedition. Delivery of ESPRIT and Lunar Terrain Vehicle.
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA Artemis 6 Orion, TBDSeptember 2030 [152] SLS Block 1BLunar landing with delivery of Crew and Science Airlock module.
    Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA Chinese crewed lunar mission Mengzhou,
    Lanyue
    2030 [153] Long March 10 Two launches of the LM-10 to put a pair of astronauts on the Moon for a 6-hour stay. [107]

    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
    Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg GEC Doge-1 [154] TBA12U CubeSat, the mission is being paid for entirely with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. First Canadian lunar mission.
    Flag of Israel.svg SpaceIL Beresheet 2 [155] Orbiter2025One orbiter, Two landers.
    Lander 1
    Lander 2
    Flag of Brazil.svg Airvantis Garatéa-L 2025 [156] Proposed lunar CubeSat, Partnership between UKSA and ESA.
    Flag of Germany.svg OHB

    Flag of Israel.svg IAI

    LSAS lander2025proposed commercial lander, will rideshare with a Geostationary satellite.
    Flag of the United States.svg Parsec Parsec lunar satellites2025Parsec lunar communication constellation. [157]
    Flag of Turkey.svg Turkish Space Agency AYAP-12026Turkey will perform a hard landing on the Moon.
    Flag of Europe.svg ESA Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer 2026Proposed CubeSat to observe asteroid impacts on Far side of Moon.
    Flag of India.svg ISRO Chandrayaan-4 2028Proposed Sample-return mission, part of Chandrayaan programme.
    Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australian Space Agency Lunar Trailblazer 2026Under study for possible rover mission
    Flag of the Netherlands.svg Delft University of Technology Lunar zebro2026Small swarming rover, radiation measurements
    Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA

    Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos

    ILRS 1-5 2026 - 20355 crucial missions planned for comprehensive establishment of ILRS to complete the in-orbit and surface facilities
    Flag of Turkey.svg Turkish Space Agency AYAP-2Lander2028Soft landing mission
    Rover
    Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos Luna 28 2030 [158] Proposed Sample-return mission, part of Luna-Glob program, may include small rover.
    Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos Luna 29 Luna 29 Lander2030s [141] Proposed Sample-return mission, part of Luna-Glob program, Will include Luna-Grunt rover.
    Luna-Grunt rover
    Flag of South Korea.svg KARI Phase 2 of the Korean lunar exploration program2030 [159] Lander and rover
    Flag of Russia.svg Roscosmos Zeus 2030Nuclear Propelled Space Tug, might deliver payloads to the moon
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA BOLAS TBD2 tethered CubeSats on a very low lunar orbit. [160]
    Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Magellan Aerospace Autonomous Impactor for Lunar ExplorationTBD Impactor for LEAP
    Flag of the United States.svg NASA Lunar Crater Radio Telescope TBD Radio telescope made by 4 rovers
    Flag of the United States.svg LiftPort Group Lunar space elevator TBDCreating a reusable, replaceable and expandable Lunar elevator to open up the resources present on the Moon
    Flag of the Czech Republic.svg ESC Aerospace LVICE²TBDMeasuring the concentration of micrometeorites [161]

    Lunar Rovers

    MissionRoverCountry/AgencyDate of landingCoordinatesOperational timeDistance travelledOutcome
    Luna E-8 No.201 Lunokhod Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Lavochkin 10 November 1968N/A0 days0 kmLaunch failure
    First launch of the Lunokhod rover. Launch vehicle disintegrated 51 seconds after launch and exploded. [162]
    Luna 17 Lunokhod 1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 17 November 1970322 days10.5 km (6.5 mi)Successful
    First rover on an extraterrestrial body.
    Luna 21 Lunokhod 2 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg USSR 15 January 1971236 days39 km (24 mi)Successful
    Farthest distance traveled on the Moon.
    Chang'e 3 Yutu Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 14 December 201342 days (mobile)
    973 days (total)
    114.8 m (377 ft)Successful
    First Chinese extraterrestrial rover and first lunar rover in over 40 years.
    Chang'e 4 Yutu-2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 3 January 20192023 days1.455 km (0.904 mi) [163]
    as of 3 January 2023
    Operational
    First rover on the far side of the Moon. Longest fully functioning rover on the Moon.
    Chandrayaan-2 Pragyan Flag of India.svg ISRO 6 September 20190 days0 kmPrecluded
    Lost when Vikram lander crash landed on the Moon.
    Hakuto-R Mission 1 Rashid Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg MBRSC April 2023TBD0 days0 kmPrecluded
    Sora-Q Flag of Japan.svg Tomy/JAXA/Doshisha University April 2023Precluded
    Contact lost during final descent of the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander. Presumed crash landing and failure.
    Chandrayaan-3 Pragyan Flag of India.svg ISRO 23 August 2023 [164] 12 days101.4 m (333 ft) [165]
    as of 2 September 2023
    Successful
    First rover to successfully land near lunar south pole.
    SLIM LEV-1 Flag of Japan.svg JAXA 19 January 20241 hour and 51 minutesSuccessful
    LEV-2 (Sora-Q)Successful
    A hopper and a rover included in the SLIM mission which demonstrated precision landing technology.
    Peregrine Mission One Iris Flag of the United States.svg CMU 2024TBDPrecluded
    Colmena x5 Flag of Mexico.svg UNAM Precluded
    Colmena would have been deployed using a small catapult mechanism. Mission cancelled along with the cancelled landing of Peregrine lander due to excessive propellant leak. [166]
    Chang'e 6 Yidong Xiangji Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 1 June 20244 daysSuccess
    Conduct infrared spectroscopy of lunar surface and imaged Chang'e 6 lander on lunar surface. [167]
    IM-2 MAPP Flag of the United States.svg Lunar OutpostH1 2024TBDPlanned
    AstroAnt Flag of the United States.svg MIT [168] Planned
    Micro-Nova Flag of the United States.svg Intuitive Machines Planned
    Yaoki Flag of Japan.svg DymonPlanned
    MAPP and Micro-Nova will demonstrate a new lunar communication system.
    IM-3 Lunar Vertex Flag of the United States.svg NASA/Lunar OutpostH1 2024TBDPlanned
    CADRE x4 Flag of the United States.svg NASA Planned
    Mission to study Reiner Gamma.
    Hakuto-R Mission 2 Micro rover Flag of Japan.svg ispace Europe 2024TBDPlanned
    Hakuto-R Mission 2 will feature a rover for surface exploration and data collection.
    LUPEX LUPEX Rover Flag of Japan.svg JAXA Flag of India.svg ISRO 2025TBDPlanned
    Joint mission between ISRO and JAXA.
    Chang’e 7 Chang’e 7 rover Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 2026TBDPlanned
    Chang’e 7 hopperPlanned
    Will search for water ice in and around craters in the south pole of the Moon.
    Starship lunar cargo mission FLEX Flag of the United States.svg Astrolab 2026TBDPlanned
    Astrolab contracted with SpaceX to send their rover to the Moon aboard Starship [169] [170]
    Chang’e 8 Chang’e 8 rover Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CNSA 2028TBDPlanned
    Chang’e 8 RobotPlanned
    Chinese ISRU mission in preparation for ILRS.

    Unrealized concepts

    1960s

    1970s

    2000s

    2010s

    2020s

    See also

    Notes

    1. "Even though the source says "IST will conduct various tests"; IST being a research university does not directly control the orbiter, rather any tests or operations on the orbiter are done through the national space agency i.e SUPARCO." [112]
    2. While Orbiting specific missions achieve a flyby milestone by virtue of entering the orbit, this table lists only flyby specific missions.

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna programme</span> Robotic spacecraft missions to the Moon by the Soviet Union (1958–1976)

    The Luna programme, occasionally called Lunik by western media, was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. The programme accomplished many firsts in space exploration, including first flyby of the Moon, first impact of the Moon and first photos of the far side of the Moon. Each mission was designed as either an orbiter or lander. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's chemical composition, gravity, temperature, and radiation.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lander (spacecraft)</span> Type of spacecraft

    A lander is a spacecraft that descends towards, then comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body other than Earth. In contrast to an impact probe, which makes a hard landing that damages or destroys the probe upon reaching the surface, a lander makes a soft landing after which the probe remains functional.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Far side of the Moon</span> Hemisphere of the Moon that always faces away from Earth

    The far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that always faces away from Earth, opposite to the near side, because of synchronous rotation in the Moon's orbit. Compared to the near side, the far side's terrain is rugged, with a multitude of impact craters and relatively few flat and dark lunar maria ("seas"), giving it an appearance closer to other barren places in the Solar System such as Mercury and Callisto. It has one of the largest craters in the Solar System, the South Pole–Aitken basin. The hemisphere has sometimes been called the "Dark side of the Moon", where "dark" means "unknown" instead of "lacking sunlight" – each location on the Moon experiences two weeks of sunlight while the opposite location experiences night.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon landing</span> Arrival of a spacecraft on the Moons surface

    A Moon landing or lunar landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, including both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was Luna 2 in 1959.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar lander</span> Spacecraft intended to land on the surface of the Moon

    A lunar lander or Moon lander is a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of the Moon. As of 2024, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar lander to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing six lunar landings from 1969 to 1972 during the United States' Apollo Program. Several robotic landers have reached the surface, and some have returned samples to Earth.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Exploration of the Moon</span> Missions to the Moon

    The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made a deliberate impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of lunar exploration had been observations from Earth. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. Galileo Galilei is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes, having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the lunar surface were among his first observations using it.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Lunar Exploration Program</span> Lunar research program (2004 – present)

    The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, also known as the Chang'e Project after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e, is an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover (space exploration)</span> Space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of a planet or other celestial body

    A rover is a planetary surface exploration device designed to move over the rough surface of a planet or other planetary mass celestial bodies. Some rovers have been designed as land vehicles to transport members of a human spaceflight crew; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots. Rovers are typically created to land on another planet via a lander-style spacecraft, tasked to collect information about the terrain, and to take crust samples such as dust, soil, rocks, and even liquids. They are essential tools in space exploration.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar south pole</span> Southernmost point on the Moon

    The lunar south pole is the southernmost point on the Moon. It is of interest to scientists because of the occurrence of water ice in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lunar south pole region features craters that are unique in that the near-constant sunlight does not reach their interior. Such craters are cold traps that contain fossil records of hydrogen, water ice, and other volatiles dating from the early Solar System. In contrast, the lunar north pole region exhibits a much lower quantity of similarly sheltered craters.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chang'e 2</span> Chinese Moon orbiter

    Chang'e 2 is a Chinese uncrewed lunar probe that was launched on 1 October 2010. It was a follow-up to the Chang'e 1 lunar probe, which was launched in 2007. Chang'e 2 was part of the first phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, and conducted research from a 100-km-high lunar orbit in preparation for the December 2013 soft landing by the Chang'e 3 lander and rover. Chang'e 2 was similar in design to Chang'e 1, although it featured some technical improvements, including a more advanced onboard camera. Like its predecessor, the probe was named after Chang'e, an ancient Chinese moon goddess.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chang'e 3</span> Lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration

    Chang'e 3 is a robotic lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), incorporating a robotic lander and China's first lunar rover. It was launched in December 2013 as part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The mission's chief commander was Ma Xingrui.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar rover</span> Vehicle that travels on the Moons surface

    A lunar rover or Moon rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of the Moon. The Apollo program's Lunar Roving Vehicle was driven on the Moon by members of three American crews, Apollo 15, 16, and 17. Other rovers have been partially or fully autonomous robots, such as the Soviet Union's Lunokhods, Chinese Yutus, Indian Pragyan, and Japan's LEVs. Five countries have had operating rovers on the Moon: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chang'e 4</span> Chinese lunar lander & rover

    Chang'e 4 is a robotic spacecraft mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program of the CNSA. China achieved humanity's first soft landing on the far side of the Moon with its touchdown on 3 January 2019.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chang'e 5</span> Chinese lunar exploration mission

    Chang'e 5 was the fifth lunar exploration mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program of CNSA, and China's first lunar sample-return mission. Like its predecessors, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e. It launched at 20:30 UTC on 23 November 2020, from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island, landed on the Moon on 1 December 2020, collected ~1,731 g (61.1 oz) of lunar samples, and returned to the Earth at 17:59 UTC on 16 December 2020.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chang'e 6</span> Chinese lunar sample-return mission

    Chang'e 6 was the sixth robotic lunar exploration mission by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the second CNSA lunar sample-return mission. Like its predecessors in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. It was humanity's first lunar mission to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon, as all previous collective sample-return missions were done from the near side.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Queqiao-1</span> Chinese lunar communications satellite

    Queqiao relay satellite (Chinese: 鹊桥号中继卫星; pinyin: Quèqiáo hào zhōngjì wèixīng; lit. 'Magpie Bridge relay satellite'), is the first of the pair of communications relay and radio astronomy satellites for the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) launched the Queqiao relay satellite on 20 May 2018 to a halo orbit around the Earth–Moon L2 Lagrangian point Queqiao is the first ever communication relay and radio astronomy satellite at this location.

    References

    1. "Why failure is the fuel for a trip to Moon". The Times of India . 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
    2. "Chandrayaan-2 landing: 40% lunar missions in last 60 years failed, finds Nasa report". Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
    3. 1 2 "月周回衛星「かぐや(SELENE)」 – SELENE通信 – お知らせ" (in Japanese). JAXA. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1958" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 17–19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    5. "Pioneer 0". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    6. 1 2 3 Wade, Mark. "Luna E-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    7. "Pioneer 1". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    8. "Pioneer 2". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    9. "Pioneer 3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    10. 1 2 3 4 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1959" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 21–24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    11. "Luna 1". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    12. "Pioneer 4". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    13. "Luna 2". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    14. "Luna 3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    15. "Pioneer P-3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    16. 1 2 3 4 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1960" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 25–27. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    17. "Pioneer P-30". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    18. "Pioneer P-31". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    19. 1 2 3 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1962" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 34–37. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    20. "Ranger 3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    21. "Ranger 4". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    22. "Ranger 5". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    23. "Sputnik 25". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    24. 1 2 3 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1963" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 39–40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    25. "Luna 4". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    26. 1 2 3 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1964" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 41–45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    27. "Luna 4". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    28. "Ranger 7". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
    29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1965" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 47–52. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    30. "Ranger 8". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    31. "Cosmos 60". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    32. "Ranger 9". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    33. "Luna 5". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    34. "Luna 6". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    35. "Zond 3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    36. "Luna 7". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    37. "Luna 8". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    38. "Luna 9". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1966" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 47–52. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    40. "Cosmos 111". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
    41. "Luna 10". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
    42. "Surveyor 1". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
    43. "Explorer 33". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
    44. "Lunar Orbiter 1". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
    45. "Luna 11". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
    46. "Surveyor 2". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
    47. "Luna 12". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
    48. "Lunar Orbiter 2". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
    49. "Luna 13". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
    50. "Lunar Orbiter 3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
    51. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1967" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 47–52. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    52. "Surveyor 3". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
    53. "Surveyor Lunar Spacecraft". Boeing. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
    54. "Lunar Orbiter 4". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
    55. "Surveyor 4". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
    56. "Explorer 35". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
    57. "Explorer 35". NASA. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
    58. "Lunar Orbiter 5". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
    59. "Surveyor 5". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
    60. "Surveyor 6". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
    61. "Surveyor 7". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
    62. 1 2 3 4 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1968" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 69–72. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    63. "Luna 14". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
    64. "Zond 5". NASA Space Science and Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
    65. "Zond 6". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
    66. "Apollo 8". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 8 July 2009. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
    67. 1 2 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1969" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 73–80.
    68. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1969" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 73–80. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    69. "APOLLO 10 (AS-505)". Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
    70. Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1976" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 115–116. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    71. "Luna 24". US National Space Science Data Center. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
    72. "Hiten". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (NSSDCA). Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
    73. "Japanese probe crashes into Moon". BBC. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
    74. Varanasi, P.; Tompkins, S.; Taylor, L. A.; Sunshine, J.; Staid, M.; Runyon, C.; Petro, N.; Nettles, J.; Mustard, J. (23 October 2009). "Character and Spatial Distribution of OH/H2O on the Surface of the Moon Seen by M3 on Chandrayaan-1". Science. 326 (5952): 568–572. Bibcode:2009Sci...326..568P. doi: 10.1126/science.1178658 . ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   19779151. S2CID   447133.
    75. "China's Moon orbiter Chang'e-2 travels 1.5 km into outer space". The Economic Times. 30 August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
    76. Lakdawalla, Emily (14 December 2012). "Chang'e 2 imaging of Toutatis succeeded beyond my expectations!". The Planetary Society . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
    77. "Chang'e 2: The Full Story". The Planetary Society. 25 August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
    78. Gold, Scott (11 September 2011). "After delay, GRAIL moon mission launches". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
    79. Harwood, William. "NASA launches GRAIL lunar probes". CBS News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
    80. Blau, Patrick. "GRAIL Mission Design and Timeline". Spaceflight 101. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
    81. Trajectory Design Enhancements to Mitigate Risk for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (PDF). ntrs.nasa.gov (Report). NASA. 13 September 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
    82. How China's lunar relay satellite arrived in its final orbit Archived 17 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Luyuan Xu, The Planetary Society. 15 June 2018.
    83. @planet4589 (31 July 2019). "The Chinese Longjiang-2 (DSLWP-B) lunar orbiting spacecraft completed its mission on Jul 31 at about 1420 UTC, in a planned impact on the lunar surface" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 August 2019 via Twitter.
    84. Rincon, Paul (7 December 2018). "China mission launches to far side of Moon". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
    85. "China Makes Historic 1st Landing on Mysterious Far Side of the Moon". Space.com . 3 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
    86. Bartels, Meghan; January 15, Space com Senior Writer |; ET, 2019 11:47am (15 January 2019). "Cotton Seed Sprouts on the Moon's Far Side in Historic First by China's Chang'e 4". Space.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    87. Grush, Loren (21 February 2019). "Watch SpaceX launch a trio of spacecraft, including a lander bound for the Moon". The Verge. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
    88. "Beresheet". NASA Solar System Exploration. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019..
    89. Foust, Jeff (12 April 2019). "SpaceIL says "chain of events" led to crash of lunar lander". SpaceNews . Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
    90. "Lander Vikram located: K Sivan". www.aninews.in. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
    91. "China's Chang'e-5 orbiter is heading back to the moon". SpaceNews. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
    92. 1 2 Figliozzi, Gianine (8 June 2022). "CAPSTONE Mission Launch No Longer Targeting June 13". NASA . Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
    93. "NASA Funds CubeSat Pathfinder Mission to Unique Lunar Orbit". NASA (Press release). 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
    94. "Rocket Lab to Launch NASA Funded Commercial Moon Mission from New Zealand". Rocket Lab . 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
    95. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foust, Jeff (11 November 2022). "NASA moving ahead with Nov. 16 Artemis 1 launch attempt". SpaceNews . Retrieved 12 November 2022.
    96. "ispace Begins Final Assembly of Lunar Lander Flight Model Ahead of First Mission". ispace . 14 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
    97. "ispace Announces Results of the "HAKUTO-R" Mission 1 Lunar Landing". ispace-inc. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
    98. "NASA Eyes New Lunar CubeSat Orbit, Propulsion Challenges Continue – Small Satellite Missions". 8 February 2023.
    99. "NASA gives up on tiny Lunar Flashlight probe's troubled moon ice mission". Space.com . 12 May 2023.
    100. Jones, Andrew (25 January 2024). "Japan's SLIM achieved pinpoint moon landing with just one working engine". SpaceNews. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
    101. "NASA, Intuitive Machines Share Images from the Moon, Provide Science Updates – Artemis". blogs.nasa.gov. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
    102. "2/3 mission plans and procedures in order to deploy its CubeSat camera system. Despite the team's strong effort, the technical complications ultimately resulted in an inability to capture images of the Odysseus lander".
    103. "EagleCam Updates: Public Comments by Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus". Embry-Riddle Newsroom. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
    104. Jones, Andrew (14 March 2024). "Surprise Chinese lunar mission hit by launch anomaly". SpaceNews. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
    105. Jones, Andrew (28 March 2024). "China appears to be trying to save stricken spacecraft from lunar limbo". SpaceNews. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
    106. "DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION LABORATORY (TIANDU LABORATORY)". IAF . Retrieved 10 June 2024.
    107. 1 2 Jones, Andrew (8 September 2022). "China's Moon Missions Shadow NASA Artemis's Pace". IEEE Spectrum . Retrieved 8 September 2022.
    108. "China launches signal relay satellite for mission to moon's hidden side". Reuters . 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
    109. 1 2 3 Jones, Andrew (10 January 2024). "China's Chang'e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 10 January 2024.
    110. Jones, Andrew (6 May 2024). "China's Chang'e-6 is carrying a surprise rover to the moon". SpaceNews . Retrieved 7 June 2024.
    111. "Mission overview and Design of Lunar CubeSat "ICUBE-Q" onboard Chang'E-6". researchgate (Press release). 25 April 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
    112. "Pakistan's ICUBE-Q satellite successfully enters lunar orbit". 8 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
    113. "Pakistan's maiden lunar probe sends first pictures of the Moon". India Today. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
    114. "China's Moon Missions Shadow NASA Artemis's Pace - IEEE Spectrum". spectrum.ieee.org.
    115. Jones, Andrew (6 May 2024). "China's Chang'e-6 is carrying a surprise rover to the moon". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
    116. 1 2 3 Foust, Jeff (13 February 2024). "Intuitive Machines ready for launch of its first lunar lander". SpaceNews . Retrieved 17 February 2024.
    117. Johnson, Arianna. "MIT Will Return To The Moon For The First Time Since Apollo, Thanks To This Space Startup". Forbes.
    118. Machines, Intuitive (5 January 2023). "Intuitive Machines Adds Commercial Lunar Rover to its Second Mission to the Moon". Intuitive Machines.
    119. 1 2 Kanayama, Lee (13 April 2020). "NOVA-C selects landing site, Masten gains CLPS contracts". NASASpaceFlight . Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
    120. Foust, Jeff (27 September 2021). "Spaceflight offers lunar flyby rideshare mission".
    121. "Key Updates for HAKUTO-R Announced as Mission 1 Lander Prepares to Enter Final Stage of Integration". ispace . 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
    122. "NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery in 2023". NASA (Press release). 4 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
    123. "Lunar Lander". Firefly Aerospace . 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
    124. "Three-peat: Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket for Third Moon Mission". Intuitive Machines (Press release). 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
    125. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Marcia (9 January 2024). "NASA Delays Next Artemis Missions to 2025 and 2026". SpacePolicyOnline. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
    126. Jones, Andrew (6 November 2023). "Japan's mission to bizarre asteroid Phaethon delayed to 2025". Space.com . Retrieved 18 December 2023.
    127. "Astrobotic selects Falcon Heavy to launch NASA's VIPER lunar rover". SpaceNews. 13 April 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
    128. "In an update on CLPS science, NASA's Joel Kearns noted that the launch of the @astrobotic Griffin lander is moving out of 2024 and to sometime in 2025, depending on their development schedule. It will still host NASA's VIPER as its primary payload". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 24 May 2024.
    129. Potter, Sean (9 February 2021). "NASA Awards Contract to Launch Initial Elements for Lunar Outpost". NASA.
    130. "ISRO to handhold private sector to create innovative space ecosystem in the country: S. Somanath, Chairman". Geospatial World. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022. We are working with JAXA on developing a payload, as well as a mission to go to moon. This will be launched using Japan's launch vehicle, but the spacecraft will be jointly developed by ISRO and Japan. A lander which will land on the moon. This will be after Chandrayaan 3 It will take three, four, five years to develop.
    131. ISRO planning 7 interplanetary missions, Venus on the to-do list Archived 7 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine . Sidharth MP, DNA India. 18 May 2019.
    132. "Moon to Mars Initiative: Trailblazer Stage 1". business.gov.au. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
    133. "Australia votes to name its 1st moon rover 'Roo-ver'". Space.com . 6 December 2023.
    134. Foust, Jeff (29 September 2023). "Ispace revises design of lunar lander for NASA CLPS mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 30 September 2023.
    135. 1 2 Foust, Jeff (28 March 2024). "Japanese lunar lander company ispace raises $53.5 million in stock sale". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
    136. "NASA selects Firefly Aerospace for mission to moon's far side in 2026". Space.com. 17 March 2023.
    137. 1 2 Jones, Andrew (28 November 2022). "China outlines pathway for lunar and deep space exploration". SpaceNews . Retrieved 29 November 2022.
    138. "A Big Rover Aims to Be Like 'UPS for the Moon'". Yahoo News.
    139. "Astrobotic Purchases Falcon Heavy Launch Services". Astrobotic Technology. 25 April 2023.
    140. "First Canadian rover to explore the Moon". CSA . 9 January 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
    141. 1 2 3 "Ученый сообщил об активном ходе работ по импортозамещению комплектующих "Луны-27"" [The scientist reported on the active progress of work on import substitution of Luna-27 components]. TASS (in Russian). 19 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
    142. Russian Moon exploration program Archived 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Russian Research Institute (IKI). 2017.
    143. Chen, Stephen (29 December 2021). "China speeds up moon base plan in space race against the US". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
    144. China's Deep Space Exploration Roadmap Archived 14 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine . 2018.
    145. Jones, Andrew (29 December 2021). "China has moon's south pole in its sights with 3 missions launching this decade". Space.com . Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
    146. Foust, Jeff (24 February 2023). "NASA plans to start work this year on first Gateway logistics mission".
    147. Parsonson, Andrew (17 July 2024). "ESA Targets 2031 for First Argonaut Lunar Lander Mission". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
    148. Hiesinger, H.; Landgraf, M.; Carey, W.; Karouji, Y.; Haltigin, T.; Osinski, G.; Mall, U.; Hashizume, K.; Group, Heracles Science Working (2019). "HERACLES: An ESA-JAXA-CSA Joint Study on Returning to the Moon". 50th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2132): 1327. Bibcode:2019LPI....50.1327H.
    149. "Missions". Lunar Outpost. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
    150. "4 fully-funded missions on the horizon". Twitter. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
    151. Foust, Jeff (13 March 2023). "NASA planning to spend up to $1 billion on space station deorbit module". SpaceNews . Retrieved 13 March 2023.
    152. 1 2 Foust, Jeff (13 March 2023). "NASA planning to spend up to $1 billion on space station deorbit module".
    153. Jones, Andrew (15 November 2021). "Chinese crewed moon landing possible by 2030, says senior space figure". SpaceNews . Retrieved 8 September 2022.
    154. "Will Geometric Energy Corporation and SpaceX Use Artificial Intelligence in the Doge-1 Mission to the Moon?". www.wicz.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
    155. Mark R. Whittington (12 February 2023). "Beresheet 2: The latest in America's inclusive return to the moon". The Hill.
    156. "Conheça a Garatéa-L, missão que pretende levar o Brasil à Lua em 2025" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
    157. "Parsec™ Service from Lockheed Martin". Lockheed Martin.
    158. @katlinegrey (11 August 2023). "Yuri Borisov: Roscosmos plans to launch #Luna26 in 2027, Luna-27 - in 2028, and Luna-28 - in 2030 or later. After that, the next goal will be a crewed mission to the Moon" (Tweet) via Twitter.
    159. https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148885478 . Blue House, 문 대통령 "내년 달 궤도선·2030년 달 착륙…7대 우주강국 도약". 18 May 2021.
    160. Bi-Sat Observations of the Lunar Atmosphere Above Swirls (BOLAS): Tethered SmallSat Investigation of Hydration and Space Weathering Processes at the Moon. (PDF) Stubbs, T. J.; Malphrus, B. K.; Hoyt, R., etal. 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference; 19–23 March 2018 at The Woodlands, Texas, USA.
    161. "About the mission". esc Aerospace. 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
    162. Siddiqi, Asif A. (2002). "1969" (PDF). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958–2000. Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 24. NASA History Office. pp. 73–80. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
    163. Andrew Jones (5 October 2021). "1,000 days on the moon! China's Chang'e 4 lunar far side mission hits big milestone". Space.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
    164. Chandrayaan 3 - After The Landing What Happens Next? , retrieved 28 August 2023
    165. "Chandrayaan-3 Mission: All planned Rover movements have been verified. The Rover has successfully traversed a distance of about 100 meters. Rover payloads LIBS and APXS are turned ON. All payloads on the propulsion module, lander module, and rover are performing nominally. #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3". Twitter. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
    166. Fisher, Jackie Wattles, Kristin (8 January 2024). "Peregrine mission abandons Moon landing attempt after suffering 'critical' fuel loss". CNN. Retrieved 9 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    167. Jones, Andrew (6 May 2024). "China's Chang'e-6 is carrying a surprise rover to the moon". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
    168. "AstroAnt". MIT Media Lab . Retrieved 29 December 2023.
    169. Dinner, Josh (1 April 2023). "SpaceX Starship will launch this new private moon rover in 2026 (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
    170. Foust, Jeff (21 November 2023). "Astrolab announces first customers for commercial lunar rover mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 30 December 2023.
    171. Brian Harvey; Olga Zakutnyaya (2011). Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 211–. ISBN   978-1-4419-8150-9.
    172. Times, Richard D. Lyons Special to The New York (3 September 1970). "2 MOON LANDINGS DROPPED BY NASA IN ECONOMY MOVE". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 18 March 2024.
    173. https://www.britannica.com/science/Constellation-program
    174. NASA scraps a lunar surface mission — just as it's supposed to focus on a Moon return Archived 3 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine Loren Grush, The Verge April 27, 2018
    175. "How ISRO modified a lunar orbiter into Mars orbiter Mangalyaan, India's "Moon Man" recalls". Zee News. 25 October 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
    176. https://x.com/dearmoonproject/status/1796759847817625933
    177. "NASA Ends VIPER Project, Continues Moon Exploration - NASA" . Retrieved 17 July 2024.