Luna 2

Impactor

USSR

Launched in 1959, impacted in 1959

Luna 2 became the first spacecraft to reach the Moon's surface on September 14, 1959, making a high-speed impact near the Palus Putredinis region.

Luna 3

Flyby

USSR

Launched in 1959, visited in 1959

Luna 3 made history by capturing the first-ever photographs of the Moon's far side during its flyby on October 7, 1959, revealing previously unseen lunar features to human eyes.

Zond 5

Flyby

USSR

Launched in 1968, visited in 1968

Zond 5 became the first spacecraft to circle the Moon and return safely to Earth, carrying turtles, wine flies, mealworms, plants, seeds and bacteria on its historic 6-day circumlunar journey in September 1968.

Apollo 8

Orbiter

NASA

Launched in 1968, entered orbit in 1968

Crewed by Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Anders

Apollo 8 became the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit, reach the Moon, and orbit another celestial body during its historic 20-hour lunar orbit beginning on December 24, 1968.

Apollo 10

Orbiter

NASA

Launched in 1969, entered orbit in 1969

Crewed by Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan, John Young

Apollo 10 performed a complete dress rehearsal for the first Moon landing, descending to within 8.4 nautical miles of the lunar surface in the Lunar Module "Snoopy" while testing all systems and procedures except the actual landing.

Apollo 11

Lander

NASA

Launched in 1969, landed in 1969

Crewed by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins

Apollo 11 became the first manned spacecraft to land on the Moon on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on Mare Tranquillitatis for their historic 21-hour stay.

Apollo 12

Lander

NASA

Launched in 1969, landed in 1969

Crewed by Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Richard Gordon

Apollo 12 achieved the second crewed Moon landing on November 19, 1969, with astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean touching down in Oceanus Procellarum just 600 feet from the Surveyor 3 probe's landing site.

Apollo 13

Flyby

NASA

Launched in 1970, visited in 1970

Crewed by Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, Fred Haise

After suffering a catastrophic oxygen tank explosion en route to the Moon, Apollo 13 used lunar gravity for a "slingshot" maneuver to return safely to Earth in what became known as a "successful failure."

Lunokhod 1

Rover

USSR

Launched in 1970, landed in 1970

Lunokhod 1 became the first successful robotic rover on another world, operating for 322 Earth days on the lunar surface and covering 10.5 kilometers while transmitting more than 20,000 images and conducting soil analyses.

Apollo 14

Lander

NASA

Launched in 1971, landed in 1971

Crewed by Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, Edgar Mitchell

Apollo 14 landed in the Fra Mauro highlands on February 5, 1971, where astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell conducted two moonwalks, collected 94 pounds of lunar samples, and famously hit two golf balls across the lunar surface.

Apollo 15

Lander

NASA

Launched in 1971, landed in 1971

Crewed by David Scott, Alfred Worden, James Irwin

Apollo 15 landed in the Hadley-Apennine region of the Moon on July 30, 1971, where astronauts David Scott and James Irwin conducted three EVAs and became the first to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle during their 67-hour surface stay.

Apollo 16

Lander

NASA

Launched in 1972, landed in 1972

Crewed by John Young, Ken Mattingly, Charlie Duke

Apollo 16 landed in the Descartes Highlands on April 21, 1972, where astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spent 71 hours on the lunar surface, conducting geological surveys and collecting 95.8 kg of rock samples.

Apollo 17

Lander

NASA

Launched in 1972, landed in 1972

Crewed by Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Jack Schmitt

Apollo 17 conducted the final lunar landing of the Apollo program, with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spending three days exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley while conducting extensive geological studies and collecting 110.5 kg of samples.

Hiten

Orbiter

JAXA

Launched in 1990, entered orbit in 1993

Hiten became Japan's first lunar probe by entering lunar orbit on October 2, 1991, and remained in orbit until it impacted the Moon's surface during a controlled descent on April 10, 1993.

Nozomi

Gravity Assist

JAXA

Launched in 1998, visited in 1998

Nozomi performed two gravity assist maneuvers past the Moon in September and December 1998 to increase its velocity for its journey to Mars, though the spacecraft ultimately failed to enter Mars orbit due to electrical problems.

Cassini

Flyby

NASA

Launched in 1997, visited in 1999

Cassini performed a gravity assist flyby of the Moon at a distance of 6,200 kilometers on August 18, 1999, as part of its complex trajectory to reach Saturn.

SMART-1

Orbiter

ESA

Launched in 2003, entered orbit in 2004

SMART-1 orbited the Moon from November 2004 to September 2006, using an innovative ion engine for propulsion and conducting comprehensive mapping of lunar composition and surface features before deliberately impacting the lunar surface.

SELENE

Orbiter

JAXA

Launched in 2007, entered orbit in 2007

SELENE (Kaguya) orbited the Moon from October 2007 to June 2009, conducting detailed surveys of lunar composition and topography with its 14 science instruments before making a controlled impact near Gill crater.

Chang'e 1

Orbiter

CNSA

Launched in 2007, entered orbit in 2007

Chang'e 1 orbited the Moon for 16 months, completing the first lunar probe mission by China and producing a high-resolution 3D map of the lunar surface before being intentionally impacted into the Moon on March 1, 2009.

Chang'e 2

Orbiter

CNSA

Launched in 2010, entered orbit in 2010

Chang'e 2 orbited the Moon for 8 months in 2010-2011, capturing high-resolution imagery and mapping the surface before departing for an extended mission to asteroid 4179 Toutatis.

Chang'e 4

Lander

CNSA

Launched in 2018, landed in 2019

Chang'e 4 became the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the far side of the Moon on January 3, 2019, touching down in the Von Kármán crater and deploying the Yutu-2 rover to explore the lunar surface.

Yutu-2

Rover

CNSA

Launched in 2018, landed in 2019

The Yutu-2 rover became the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon on January 3, 2019, touching down in the Von Kármán crater as part of the Chang'e 4 mission.

Chang'e 5

Lander

CNSA

Launched in 2020, landed in 2020

Chang'e 5 successfully landed in the Mons Rümker region of Oceanus Procellarum on December 1, 2020, collecting 1.731 kg of lunar samples which were returned to Earth on December 16, marking the first lunar sample return since 1976.

Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)

Lander

JAXA

Launched in 2023, landed in 2024

SLIM achieved a successful but tipped-over landing on the lunar surface near Shioli crater on January 19, 2024, demonstrating precision landing technology despite experiencing power issues due to its solar panels facing the wrong direction.

Chang'e 6

Lander

CNSA

Launched in 2024, landed in 2024

The robotic Chang'e 6 lander will attempt the first-ever landing on the Moon's far side in 2024, aiming to collect and return lunar samples from the South Pole-Aitken basin.

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

Flyby

ESA

Launched in 2023, visited in 2024

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) performed a lunar-Earth gravity assist flyby on April 23, 2024, as part of its eight-year journey to reach the Jovian system.