List of missions to the Moon facts for kids

The Moon has always fascinated us! Since 1959, many spacecraft have traveled there. These journeys are called Missions to the Moon. They help us learn more about our closest neighbor in space.

The first spacecraft to fly past the Moon was Luna 1 in January 1959. It was from the Soviet Union. Later that year, Luna 2 became the first to actually hit the Moon. Then, Luna 3 sent back the first pictures of the Moon's hidden "far side."

In 1966, Luna 9 made the first gentle landing on the Moon. This was a huge step! Soon after, Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon. In 1968, Zond 5 even carried living creatures, like tortoises, around the Moon and brought them back safely.

The most famous missions were when humans landed on the Moon. This was part of the "Space Race" between the Soviet Union and the United States. In December 1968, Apollo 8 carried astronauts around the Moon. Then, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk there!

Between 1969 and 1972, the United States sent six more crewed missions to the Moon. The Soviet Union sent robotic rovers, like the Lunokhod programme, and collected Moon samples. After 1976, there was a break in Moon missions until 1990.

Since then, many more countries and agencies have explored the Moon. These include Japan, Europe, China, India, and others. China's Chang'e 4 mission made history in January 2019. It was the first to land on the Moon's far side. Its rover, Yutu-2, explored this new area. In June 2024, China's Chang'e 6 mission collected samples from the far side. This was another first!

Some missions also use the Moon for a "gravity assist." This helps them travel to other planets. For example, Explorer 49 orbited the Moon to study radio signals from deep space. The Moon blocked interference from Earth.

20th Century Moon Missions

Legend

⚀ Cubesat or similar

Mission		Launch date	Operator	Mission type	Outcome
1	Pioneer 0	17 August 1958	USAF	Orbiter	Launch failure
This was the first try to launch a spacecraft beyond Earth. It failed due to an engine problem.
2	Luna E-1 No.1	23 September 1958	OKB-1	Impactor	Launch failure
The rocket broke apart because of too much vibration.
3	Pioneer 1	11 October 1958	NASA	Orbiter	Launch failure
It failed to reach orbit due to an engine problem.
4	Luna E-1 No.2	11 October 1958	OKB-1	Impactor	Launch failure
The rocket exploded shortly after launch.
5	Pioneer 2	8 November 1958	NASA	Orbiter	Launch failure
It failed to reach orbit due to engine and electrical issues.
6	Luna E-1 No.3	4 December 1958	OKB-1	Impactor	Launch failure
An engine problem prevented it from reaching orbit.
7	Pioneer 3	6 December 1958	NASA	Flyby	Launch failure
It failed to reach its target orbit.
8	Luna 1	2 January 1959	OKB-1	Impactor	Partial failure
This was the first spacecraft to fly by the Moon, but it missed its planned impact.
9	Pioneer 4	3 March 1959	NASA	Flyby	Partial failure
It flew by the Moon at a greater distance than planned.
10	E-1A No.1	18 June 1959	OKB-1	Impactor	Launch failure
A guidance system problem caused it to fail.
11	Luna 2	12 September 1959	OKB-1	Impactor	Success
This was the first spacecraft to impact the lunar surface.
12	Luna 3	4 October 1959	OKB-1	Flyby	Success
It returned the first images of the far side of the Moon.
13	Pioneer P-3	26 November 1959	NASA	Orbiter	Launch failure
The payload cover broke apart during launch.
14	Luna E-3 No.1	15 April 1960	OKB-1	Flyby	Launch failure
An engine shut down too early.
15	Luna E-3 No.2	16 April 1960	OKB-1	Flyby	Launch failure
The rocket broke apart shortly after launch.
16	Pioneer P-30	25 September 1960	NASA	Orbiter	Launch failure
An engine problem caused it to fail.
17	Pioneer P-31	15 December 1960	NASA	Orbiter	Launch failure
The rocket exploded shortly after launch.
18	Ranger 3	26 January 1962	NASA	Impactor	Spacecraft failure
		A guidance problem caused it to miss the Moon.
19	Ranger 4	23 April 1962	NASA	Impactor	Spacecraft failure
		It ran out of power and crashed on the far side of the Moon. This was the first spacecraft to impact the far side.
20	Ranger 5	18 October 1962	NASA	Impactor	Spacecraft failure
		It lost power and missed the Moon.
21	Luna E-6 No.2	4 January 1963	OKB-1	Lander	Launch failure
It failed to leave Earth's orbit.
22	Luna E-6 No.3	3 February 1963	OKB-1	Lander	Launch failure
A guidance problem caused it to fail.
23	Luna 4	2 April 1963	OKB-1	Lander	Spacecraft failure
It failed to correct its course and missed the Moon.
24	Ranger 6	30 January 1964	NASA	Impactor	Spacecraft failure
It impacted the Moon but failed to send back images.
25	Luna E-6 No.6	21 March 1964	OKB-1	Lander	Launch failure
An engine problem caused it to fail.
26	Luna E-6 No.5	20 April 1964	OKB-1	Lander	Launch failure
A power failure caused an engine to shut down too early.
27	Ranger 7	28 July 1964	NASA	Impactor	Success
It successfully impacted the Moon and sent back images.
28	Ranger 8	17 February 1965	NASA	Impactor	Success
It successfully impacted the Moon and sent back images.
29	Kosmos 60	12 March 1965	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
It failed to leave Earth's orbit.
30	Ranger 9	21 March 1965	NASA	Impactor	Success
It successfully impacted the Moon and sent back images.
31	Luna E-6 No.8	10 April 1965	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
It failed to reach orbit.
32	Luna 5	9 May 1965	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
It lost control and crashed on the Moon.
33	Luna 6	8 June 1965	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
An engine problem caused it to miss the Moon.
34	Zond 3	18 July 1965	Lavochkin	Flyby	Success
It flew past the Moon and tested technology for future missions.
35	Luna 7	4 October 1965	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
It crashed on the Moon due to a control problem.
36	Luna 8	3 December 1965	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
It crashed on the Moon due to a landing system problem.
37	Luna 9	31 January 1966	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
This was the first spacecraft to land successfully on the Moon.
38	Kosmos 111	1 March 1966	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Launch failure
It failed to leave Earth's orbit.
39	Luna 10	31 March 1966	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Success
This was the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon.
40	Surveyor 1	30 May 1966	NASA	Lander	Success
It successfully landed and sent back data.
41	Explorer 33	1 July 1966	NASA	Orbiter	Launch failure
It went too fast to enter lunar orbit, but completed an Earth orbit mission.
42	Lunar Orbiter 1	10 August 1966	NASA	Orbiter	Partial failure
It orbited the Moon but was deorbited early.
43	Luna 11	21 August 1966	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Partial failure
It orbited the Moon but failed to return images.
44	Surveyor 2	20 September 1966	NASA	Lander	Spacecraft failure
It lost control and crashed on the Moon.
45	Luna 12	22 October 1966	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited the Moon and took pictures.
46	Lunar Orbiter 2	6 November 1966	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It successfully mapped the Moon with photos.
47	Luna 13	21 December 1966	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
It successfully landed and studied the lunar soil.
48	Lunar Orbiter 3	5 February 1967	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited and took pictures.
49	Surveyor 3	17 April 1967	NASA	Lander	Success
It landed successfully and was later visited by Apollo 12 astronauts.
50	Lunar Orbiter 4	4 May 1967	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited and took pictures.
51	Surveyor 4	14 July 1967	NASA	Lander	Spacecraft failure
Contact was lost just before landing; it may have exploded.
52	Explorer 35	19 July 1967	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It studied the Moon and space environment.
53	Lunar Orbiter 5	1 August 1967	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It completed a successful photographic survey.
54	Surveyor 5	8 September 1967	NASA	Lander	Success
It landed successfully and sent back data.
55	Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L	27 September 1967	Lavochkin	Flyby	Spacecraft failure
It failed to reach orbit due to an engine problem.
56	Surveyor 6	7 November 1967	NASA	Lander	Success
It landed successfully and even made a short hop on the surface.
57	Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L	22 November 1967	Lavochkin	Flyby	Launch failure
It failed to reach orbit due to an engine problem.
58	Surveyor 7	7 January 1968	NASA	Lander	Success
This final Surveyor mission landed successfully near a crater.
59	Luna E-6LS No.112	7 February 1968	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Launch failure
It failed to orbit after running out of fuel.
60	Luna 14	7 April 1968	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Success
It tested communications and studied the Moon's gravity.
61	Soyuz 7K-L1 No.7L	22 April 1968	Lavochkin	Flyby	Launch failure
It failed to orbit due to an engine shutdown.
62	Zond 5	14 September 1968	Lavochkin	Flyby	Success
It carried tortoises around the Moon and returned them safely to Earth.
63	Zond 6	10 November 1968	Lavochkin	Flyby	Spacecraft failure
It carried turtles around the Moon but had a problem during Earth reentry.
64	Apollo 8	21 December 1968	NASA	Crewed orbiter	Success
This was the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon.
65	Soyuz 7K-L1 No.13L	20 January 1969	Lavochkin	Flyby	Launch failure
It failed to orbit due to engine problems.
66	Luna E-8 No.201	19 February 1969	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
		The launch vehicle broke apart and exploded.
67	Soyuz 7K-L1S No.3	21 February 1969	OKB-1	Orbiter	Launch failure
The rocket engine shut down too early.
68	Apollo 10	18 May 1969	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was a practice mission for the first Moon landing.
69	Luna E-8-5 No.402	14 June 1969	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
		It failed to reach Earth orbit.
70	Soyuz 7K-L1S No.5	3 July 1969	OKB-1	Orbiter	Launch failure
The rocket engines shut down shortly after launch.
71	Luna 15	13 July 1969	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
		It crashed on the Moon during its landing attempt.
72	Apollo 11	16 July 1969	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the first crewed landing on the Moon.
73	Zond 7	7 August 1969	Lavochkin	Flyby	Success
It carried turtles around the Moon and returned safely to Earth.
74	Kosmos 300	23 September 1969	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
		It failed to leave Earth orbit.
75	Kosmos 305	22 October 1969	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
		It failed to leave Earth orbit.
76	Apollo 12	14 November 1969	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the second crewed lunar landing.
77	Luna E-8-5 No.405	6 February 1970	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
		It failed to reach orbit.
78	Apollo 13	11 April 1970	NASA	Orbiter	Spacecraft failure
		A problem with the spacecraft caused the lunar landing to be canceled, but the crew returned safely.
79	Luna 16	12 September 1970	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
		This was the first robotic mission to collect and return Moon samples.
80	Zond 8	20 October 1970	Lavochkin	Flyby	Success
It successfully flew by the Moon and returned to Earth.
81	Luna 17	10 November 1970	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
		It deployed Lunokhod 1, the first rover on the Moon.
82	Apollo 14	31 January 1971	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the third crewed lunar landing.
83	Apollo 15	26 July 1971	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the fourth crewed lunar landing and the first to use a lunar rover.
84	PFS-1	26 July 1971	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It was deployed from Apollo 15 to orbit the Moon.
85	Luna 18	2 September 1971	Lavochkin	Lander	Spacecraft failure
		It failed during its descent to the Moon.
86	Luna 19	28 September 1971	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited the Moon.
87	Luna 20	14 February 1972	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
		It successfully landed and returned Moon samples.
88	Apollo 16	16 April 1972	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the fifth crewed lunar landing.
89	PFS-2	16 April 1972	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It was deployed from Apollo 16 to orbit the Moon.
90	Soyuz 7K-LOK No.1	23 November 1972	OKB-1	Orbiter	Launch failure
It failed to reach orbit.
91	Apollo 17	7 December 1972	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the sixth and last crewed lunar landing.
92	Luna 21	8 January 1973	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
		It deployed Lunokhod 2, another lunar rover.
93	Explorer 49	10 June 1973	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It orbited the Moon to study radio signals from space.
94	Mariner 10	3 November 1973	NASA	Flyby	Success
This interplanetary spacecraft flew by the Moon to test its cameras.
95	Luna 22	29 May 1974	Lavochkin	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited the Moon.
96	Luna 23	28 October 1974	Lavochkin	Lander	Partial failure
		It tipped over on landing, preventing it from collecting samples.
97	Luna E-8-5M No.412	16 October 1975	Lavochkin	Lander	Launch failure
		It failed to reach orbit.
98	Luna 24	9 August 1976	Lavochkin	Lander	Success
		It successfully landed and returned Moon samples. This was the last Soviet Moon mission.
99	ISEE-3	12 August 1978	NASA	Flyby	Success
It performed several flybys of the Moon on its way to a comet.
100	Hiten	24 January 1990	ISAS	Orbiter	Success
		It was designed for a flyby but later orbited the Moon. It impacted the Moon in 1993.
101	Geotail	24 July 1992	ISAS/NASA	Flyby	Success
It used Moon flybys to adjust its orbit around Earth.
102	WIND	1 November 1994	NASA	Flyby	Success
It made two flybys to reach a special point in space between Earth and the Sun.
103	Clementine	25 January 1994	USAF/NASA	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited and mapped the Moon.
104	HGS-1	24 December 1997	Hughes	Flyby	Success
This communications satellite used Moon flybys to reach its correct orbit.
105	Lunar Prospector	7 January 1998	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It successfully orbited the Moon and ended its mission in 1999.
106	Nozomi	3 July 1998	ISAS	Flyby	Success
It made two flybys of the Moon on its way to Mars.

21st Century Moon Missions

Legend

⚀ Cubesat or similar

Mission		Launch date	Operator	Mission type	Outcome
107	WMAP	30 June 2001	NASA	Flyby	Success
It flew by the Moon to reach a special point in space.
108	SMART-1	27 September 2003	ESA	Orbiter	Success
It orbited the Moon and impacted it at the end of its mission in 2006.
109	STEREO	25 October 2006	NASA	Flyby	Success
		Both spacecraft flew by the Moon to enter orbit around the Sun.
110	ARTEMIS	17 February 2007	NASA	Orbiter	Operational
		Two spacecraft moved to orbit the Moon for an extended mission.
111	SELENE	14 September 2007	JAXA	Orbiter	Success
		It deployed two smaller satellites and orbited the Moon.
112	Chang'e 1	24 October 2007	CNSA	Orbiter	Success
It orbited the Moon and impacted it at the end of its mission in 2009.
113	Chandrayaan-1	22 October 2008	ISRO	Orbiter	Success
		It orbited the Moon and discovered water ice. It also deployed an impact probe.
114	LRO & LCROSS	18 June 2009	NASA	Orbiter	Operational
		LRO orbits the Moon, while LCROSS impacted the Moon to search for water.
115	Chang'e 2	1 October 2010	CNSA	Orbiter	Success
After orbiting the Moon, it flew to a special point in space and then past an asteroid.
116	GRAIL	10 September 2011	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		Two spacecraft orbited the Moon to map its gravity field and impacted it in 2012.
117	LADEE	7 September 2013	NASA	Orbiter	Success
It studied the Moon's atmosphere and dust, then intentionally crashed in 2014.
118	Chang'e 3	1 December 2013	CNSA	Lander	Operational
		It landed successfully and deployed the Yutu rover. China became the third country to soft land on the Moon.
119	Chang'e 5-T1	23 October 2014	CNSA	Orbiter	Operational
		It tested a return capsule. A small Luxembourg mission, 4M, also flew by and later impacted the Moon in 2022.
120	TESS	18 April 2018	NASA	Flyby	Success
It flew by the Moon to reach its designated orbit for finding exoplanets.
121	Queqiao	21 May 2018	CNSA	Relay Satellite	Operational
		It was launched to relay communications for missions on the far side of the Moon. A small satellite, Longjiang-2, also orbited the Moon.
122	Chang'e 4	7 December 2018	CNSA	Lander	Operational
		This was the first spacecraft to soft land on the far side of the Moon. It deployed the Yutu-2 rover.
123	Beresheet	22 February 2019	SpaceIL	Lander	Spacecraft failure
This first private lunar lander crashed during its descent.
124	Chandrayaan-2	22 July 2019	ISRO	Orbiter	Operational
		The orbiter is operational, but the lander crashed during its landing attempt.
125	Chang'e 5	23 November 2020	CNSA	Orbiter	Operational
		This mission successfully returned Moon samples to Earth. The orbiter is still operational.
126	CAPSTONE	28 June 2022	NASA	⚀ Orbiter	Operational
This small satellite tests an orbit for a future space station around the Moon.
127	Danuri	4 August 2022	KARI	Orbiter	Operational
This South Korean orbiter surveys lunar resources and maps future landing sites.
128	Artemis I	16 November 2022	NASA	Orbiter	Success
		This uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft successfully flew around the Moon. Several small satellites were also launched.
129	Hakuto-R Mission 1	11 December 2022	ispace	Lander	Spacecraft failure
		This lunar lander failed during its landing attempt. It carried a small rover from the UAE.
130	Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer	14 April 2023	ESA	Flyby	Success
It flew by the Moon in August 2024 on its way to Jupiter.
131	Chandrayaan-3	14 July 2023	ISRO	Orbiter	Success
		It successfully landed near the Moon's south pole in August 2023 and deployed the Pragyan rover.
132	Luna 25	10 August 2023	Roscosmos	Lander	Spacecraft failure
This Russian lander crashed into the Moon in August 2023 after an orbital maneuver failed.
133	SLIM	6 September 2023	JAXA	Lander	Success
		It landed successfully in January 2024, making Japan the fifth country to soft land on the Moon. It deployed two small rovers.
134	Peregrine Mission One	8 January 2024	Astrobotic Technology	Lander	Spacecraft failure
		This private lander failed due to a fuel leak and burned up in Earth's atmosphere.
135	IM-1	14 February 2024	Intuitive Machines	Lander	Success
		This was the first private spacecraft to soft land on the Moon. It landed on its side but payloads worked.
136	DRO A/B	13 March 2024	CAS	Relay Satellite	Operational
		These satellites were launched to test orbits for future Moon missions and have reached their desired orbit.
137	Queqiao-2	20 March 2024	CNSA	Relay Satellite	Operational
		This relay satellite supports future Chinese Moon missions, along with two smaller test satellites.
138	Chang'e 6	3 May 2024	CNSA	Orbiter	Success
		This was the first spacecraft to collect samples from the far side of the Moon. It also carried a small rover and a Pakistani satellite.
139	Blue Ghost M1	15 January 2025	Firefly Aerospace	Lander	Success
This private lunar lander successfully delivered experiments and payloads to the Moon.
140	Hakuto-R Mission 2	15 January 2025	ispace	Lander	Spacecraft failure
This lander failed to complete its landing on June 5, 2025, impacting the lunar surface.
141	Lunar Trailblazer	27 February 2025	NASA	Orbiter	Spacecraft failure
This orbiter aimed to study lunar water but experienced a communication failure after its March 3, 2025 flyby.
142	Brokkr-2	27 February 2025	AstroForge	Flyby	Spacecraft failure
This asteroid probe intended to fly by an asteroid but had a communication failure after its March 3, 2025 flyby.
143	Chimera-1	27 February 2025	Epic Aerospace	Flyby	Success
This space tug flew by the Moon on March 3, 2025, on its way to geosynchronous orbit.
144	IM-2	27 February 2025	Intuitive Machines	Lander	Partial failure
		This lander achieved a soft landing on March 6, 2025, but landed on its side. The mission concluded one day later.
145	Artemis II	1 April 2026	NASA CSA	Flyby	Operational
		This crewed test of the Orion spacecraft launched on April 1, 2026, for a flight around the Moon.

Statistics

Launches by Decade

This list includes 145 missions to the Moon, even those that failed. It covers flybys, impacts, orbiters, landers, rovers, and crewed missions.

Mission Milestones by Country

This table shows the first time each country or agency achieved a major milestone in Moon exploration.

Legend

  Milestone achieved
  Milestone not achieved
† First to achieve

Country/ Agency	Flyby	Orbit	Impact	Soft landing	Rover	Sample return	Crewed orbiting	Crewed landing
United States	Pioneer 4, 1959	Lunar Orbiter 1, 1966	Ranger 4, 1962	Surveyor 1, 1966	LRV (Apollo 15), 1971	Apollo 11, 1969 †	Apollo 8, 1968 †	Apollo 11, 1969 †
Soviet Union	Luna 1, 1959 †	Luna 10, 1966 †	Luna 2, 1959 †	Luna 9, 1966 †	Lunokhod 1, 1970 †	Luna 16, 1970	—	—
China	Chang'e 5-T1, 2014	Chang'e 1, 2007	Chang'e 1, 2009	Chang'e 3, 2013	Yutu, 2013	Chang'e 5, 2020	—	—
India	Chandrayaan 3, 2023	Chandrayaan 1, 2008	MIP, 2008	Chandrayaan 3, 2023	Pragyan, 2023	—	—	—
Japan	Hiten, 1990	Hiten, 1993	Hiten, 1993	SLIM, 2024	LEV-1, 2024	—	—	—
Israel	—	Beresheet, 2019	Beresheet, 2019	Beresheet, 2019	—	—	—	—
Russia	—	Luna 25, 2023	Luna 25, 2023	Luna 25, 2023	—	—	—	—
ESA	—	SMART-1, 2003	SMART-1, 2006	—	—	—	—	—
Luxembourg	4M, 2014	—	4M, 2022	—	—	—	—	—
South Korea	—	Danuri, 2022	—	—	—	—	—	—
Italy	ArgoMoon, 2022	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
UAE	—	—	Rashid, 2023	—	Rashid, 2023	—	—	—
Pakistan	—	ICUBE-Q, 2024	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mexico	—	—	—	—	Colmena, 2024	—	—	—

Missions by Organization or Company

Analysis of numbers of lunar missions

Country/ Agency	Agency or company	Successful	Partial failure	Failure	Operational	Total
USSR	Lavochkin	16	2	22	–	40
	Energia	2	–	16	–	18
USA	NASA	37	2	14	4	55
	USAF	1	–	1	–	2
China	CNSA	10	–	–	8	10
Japan	ISAS	2	–	2	–	4
	JAXA	2	–	1	1	4
India	ISRO	2	1	–	2	3
Various member states	ESA	1	–	–	–	1
Luxembourg	LuxSpace	1	–	–	–	1
South Korea	KARI	1	–	–	1	1
USA (private company)	Lockheed Martin	1	–	–	–	1
USA (private company)	Fluid & Reason	1	–	–	–	1
USA (private company)	Astrobotic Technology	–	–	1	–	1
USA (private company)	Intuitive Machines	1	1	–	–	2
USA (private university)	ERAU	–	–	1	–	1
USA (private company)	Firefly Aerospace	1	–	–	–	1
Italy	ASI	1	–	–	–	1
Israel	SpaceIL	–	–	1	–	1
Russia	Roscosmos	–	–	1	–	1
UAE	UAESA	–	–	1	–	1
Japan (private company)	ispace	–	–	1	–	1
Pakistan	IST / SUPARCO	1	–	–	1	1

Landing Sites

Quick facts for kids Clickable map of the locations of all successful soft landings on the near side of the Moon to date (top)       Luna program (USSR)       Surveyor program (USA)       Apollo program (USA)       Chang'e program (China)       Chandrayaan program (India)       SLIM (Japan)       Commercial Lunar Payload Services (USA) Dates are landing dates in Coordinated Universal Time. Except for the Apollo program, all soft landings were uncrewed. Asterisk indicates a partial success.

As of April 2026, there have been 28 successful gentle landings on the Moon. Five countries have achieved this: China, India, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Six of these landings were crewed missions by the United States (Apollo program). China has made both soft landings on the far side of the Moon. India's Chandrayaan-3 and Intuitive Machines' IM-1 and IM-2 landers have successfully landed near the Moon's south pole.

Future Moon Missions

Many more missions to the Moon are planned or suggested by different countries and groups.

Funded and Under Development

Robotic Missions

Mission	Spacecraft	Launch date	Operator	Mission type
Mark 1 Pathfinder Mission	Blue Moon	Launched Q1 2026	Blue Origin	Lander
This mission launched in early 2026. It is the first flight for Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, testing its capabilities.
Blue Ghost M2	Blue Ghost lander	Expected Q2 2026	Firefly Aerospace	Lander
	This is Firefly Aerospace's second mission, part of NASA's CLPS program. It includes an orbital vehicle.
Lunar Pathfinder	Lunar Pathfinder	Expected Q2 2026	ESA	Relay satellite
This satellite will help with communications for future Moon missions.
Griffin Mission 1	Griffin lander	Expected July 2026	Astrobotic Technology	Lander
This mission will deliver NASA's VIPER rover to the Moon's south pole.
Chang'e 7	Chang'e 7 Orbiter	October 2026	CNSA	Orbiter
	This mission includes an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a small flying probe to search for water ice at the south pole.
IM-3	Nova-C	Expected late 2026	Intuitive Machines	Lander
	This is the third Nova-C mission, delivering payloads for NASA and private customers. It includes a relay satellite and rovers.
Starship Demo mission	Starship HLS	TBD	SpaceX	Lander
This will be an uncrewed test flight of the Starship Human Landing System.
Artemis III Starship HLS delivery	Starship HLS	TBD	SpaceX	Lander
This mission will deliver the Starship HLS for the Artemis III crewed landing.
Starship cargo mission	Starship HLS	TBD	SpaceX	Lander
This is SpaceX's first planned lunar cargo mission.
FLEX	FLEX	TBD	Astrolab	Rover
This large lunar rover can carry cargo and two astronauts.
Astrobotic mission 3	TBA	2026	Astrobotic	Lander
	Astrobotic's third lunar mission will land at the Moon's south pole.
ZeusX	ZeusX service module	Q4 2027	Qosmosys	Orbiter
	This is Singapore's first lunar landing attempt, with a lander and a rover.
Mission 2.5	Argo OTV	2027	Argo Space	Transfer vehicle
	This mission includes a transfer vehicle and a relay satellite for lunar communication.
Chandrayaan-4	Chandrayaan-4	2027–2028	ISRO	Lander
This Indian mission will include a lander.
Luna 26	Luna 26	2028	Roscosmos	Orbiter
This orbiter will scout for landing sites for future Russian missions.
Chang'e 8	Chang'e 8 Orbiter	2028	CNSA	Orbiter
	This south pole lander will test technologies for using Moon resources and 3D printing.
Mission 3	ULTRA	2028	ispace	Lander
This is the first flight of ispace's ULTRA lunar lander.
TBD (Lunar Rover)	South pole Rover	2028	SUPARCO	Rover
Pakistan's first lunar rover will be launched as part of the Chang'e 8 mission.
Uncrewed Blue Moon Demo mission	Blue Moon HLS	2028	Blue Origin	Lander
	This is a demo mission for the Blue Moon lander system, preparing for crewed landings.
Artemis IV Starship HLS delivery	Starship HLS	2028	SpaceX	Lander
This mission will deliver the Starship HLS for the Artemis IV crewed landing.
Artemis V Blue Moon HLS delivery	Blue Moon HLS	2028	Blue Origin	Lander
	This mission will deliver the Blue Moon HLS for the Artemis V crewed landing.
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)	LUPEX lander	2028–2029	ISRO	Lander
	This joint mission with Japan will send a lander and rover to the Moon's polar region.
Canadian lunar rover mission	Canadensys Lunar Rover	2029	CSA	Rover
This will be Canada's first lunar rover.
Mission 4	ULTRA	2029	ESA ispace	Lander
	This mission is for advanced geophysics and ice exploration.
Luna 27	Luna 27A and Luna 27B	2029–2030	Roscosmos	Lander
These landers are part of Russia's Luna-Glob program.
TBD (CLPS Lander)	Moon to Mars Initiative: Trailblazer (Roo-ver)	2029–2030	Australian Space Agency	Rover
This is a proposed rover mission from Australia.
Mission 5	ULTRA	2030	ispace-U.S. Draper	Lander
	This is ispace's fifth mission, part of NASA's CLPS program.
Argonaut M1	Argonaut Lander	2031	ESA	Lander
This robotic lander will resupply a future Moon base.
KLEP	KLLR Lander	NET 2032	KARI	Lander
	This is the second mission of the Korean Lunar Exploration Program, including a lander and rover.
Lunar Voyage 3	Mapp	TBA	Lunar Outpost	Rover
This will be the first fully commercial mission from Lunar Outpost.

Crewed Missions

Agency or company	Name	Spacecraft	Launch date	Notes
NASA	Artemis IV	Orion, Starship HLS	H1 2028	This will be the first Artemis crewed lunar landing.
NASA	Artemis V	Orion, Blue Moon HLS	Late 2028	This mission will involve a crewed surface expedition.
CNSA	Chinese crewed lunar mission	Mengzhou, Lanyue	~2030	China plans to send two astronauts to the Moon for a short stay.

Proposed but Funding Unclear

Robotic and Crewed Missions

The following missions have been suggested, but their full funding is not yet confirmed:

Agency or company	Mission	Name of spacecraft	Proposed launch	Notes
GEC	⚀ Doge-1		TBA	A small satellite mission, paid for with cryptocurrency. It would be Canada's first lunar mission.
SpaceIL	Beresheet 2	Orbiter	2025	This mission would include one orbiter and two landers.
		Lander 1
		Lander 2
Airvantis	Garatéa-L		2025	A proposed small satellite, in partnership with the UK and ESA.
OHB IAI	LSAS lander		2025	A proposed commercial lander.
Parsec	Parsec lunar satellites		2025	A proposed constellation of communication satellites for the Moon.
Turkish Space Agency	AYAP-1		2026	Turkey plans to perform a hard landing on the Moon.
ESA	Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer		2027	A proposed small satellite to watch for asteroid impacts on the far side of the Moon.
Australian Space Agency	Lunar Trailblazer		2026	A rover mission currently being studied.
Delft University of Technology	Lunar zebro		2026	A small, swarming rover to measure radiation.
Turkish Space Agency	AYAP-2	Lander	2028	This mission would involve a soft landing and a rover.
		Rover
Roscosmos	Zeus		2030	A nuclear-powered space tug that might deliver payloads to the Moon.
CNSA Roscosmos	International Lunar Research Station (ILRS 1–5)		2031–2035	Five missions are planned to build a research station on the Moon.
Roscosmos	Luna 29		2032	An orbiter, part of the Luna-Glob program.
Roscosmos	Luna 28		2034	A proposed mission to return samples from the Moon, possibly with a small rover.
Roscosmos	Luna 30		2036	A lander mission that will include Luna-Grunt rovers.
ISRO	Indian Lunar Crewed Mission		~2040	India's national effort to send an astronaut to the Moon using its own technology.
NASA	BOLAS		TBD	Two small satellites on a very low lunar orbit.
Magellan Aerospace	Autonomous Impactor for Lunar Exploration		TBD	An impactor for lunar exploration.
NASA	Lunar Crater Radio Telescope		TBD	A radio telescope made by four lunar rovers.
LiftPort Group	Lunar space elevator		TBD	A project to create an elevator to the Moon to access its resources.
ESC Aerospace	LVICE²		TBD	A mission to measure micrometeorite concentration.

Lunar Rovers