Explore Moon Missions through the missions, discoveries, rivalries and collaborations that expanded humanity's reach beyond Earth. This timeline links each milestone to the wider story of science, engineering, politics and exploration, from early experiments to robotic missions, crewed flight and commercial spaceflight. It shows how ambition and innovation reshaped our understanding of the Solar System and the universe.
A New Era of Lunar Exploration On 13 September 1959, the Soviet space programme achieved a feat previously confined to the realms of science fiction when the Luna 2 spacecraft successfully impacted the surface of the Moo...
View itemA New Frontier in Lunar Exploration The arrival of Luna 9 on the lunar surface on 3 February 1966 stands as a defining moment in the history of space exploration, representing the first successful controlled soft landing...
View itemA New Era of Lunar Exploration On 31 March 1966, the Soviet Union achieved a profound technical breakthrough by successfully placing Luna 10 into orbit around the Moon. This mission represented the first time any human-m...
View itemA New Era of Lunar Exploration The arrival of Surveyor 1 on the lunar surface on 2 June 1966 represented a fundamental shift in the trajectory of space exploration. By successfully executing a controlled, robotic soft-la...
View itemLaunched on 11 October 1968, Apollo 7 marked a pivotal moment in space exploration as the first crewed mission of the Apollo programme. Following the devastating Apollo 1 tragedy, which had resulted in the loss of three...
View itemOn 21 December 1968 , the Apollo 8 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, marking a historic milestone as the first crewed spacecraft to depart Earth orbit and travel towards the Moon. This ambitious flight repr...
View itemA New Frontier in Lunar Exploration The launch of Apollo 8 on 21 December 1968 represented a fundamental shift in the trajectory of human spaceflight. By successfully reaching lunar orbit, the mission transcended the bou...
View itemOn 24 December 1968 , the Apollo 8 mission achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first crewed spacecraft to successfully enter the orbit of another celestial body. This monumental feat saw astronauts Frank Borman...
View itemLaunched on 3 March 1969 , the Apollo 9 mission served as a critical flight test for the Lunar Module while remaining in Earth orbit . This mission was the first time a crewed lunar landing vehicle was flown in space, ma...
View itemA Final Test Before the Moon The launch of Apollo 10 on 18 May 1969 served as the final, critical dress rehearsal for the lunar landing programme. By executing the full mission profile short of actual touchdown, the crew...
View itemOn 18 May 1969 , the Apollo 10 mission launched as a critical full dress rehearsal for the inaugural crewed Moon landing. Serving as a vital precursor to the historic Apollo 11 expedition, this mission was designed to ve...
View itemOn 22 May 1969, the Apollo 10 mission reached a critical milestone in the preparations for the first crewed lunar landing. During this flight, the Lunar Module, nicknamed Snoopy, successfully descended to a low altitude...
View itemOn 16 July 1969 , the Apollo 11 mission commenced with its historic launch, marking the beginning of humanity's first attempt to land a crew on the surface of the Moon . This monumental flight represented the culmination...
View itemThe Eagle Has Landed The successful descent of the Lunar Module Eagle onto the surface of the Moon represents the culmination of a decade of intense aerospace development and national ambition. By touching down in the Se...
View itemOn 14 November 1969 , the Apollo 12 mission commenced, marking the second occasion on which humans were launched towards the Moon. Following the monumental success of the Apollo 11 lunar landing earlier that year, this m...
View itemOn 19 November 1969 , the Apollo 12 mission achieved a significant milestone in lunar exploration by successfully landing within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 robotic spacecraft. This feat was a critical demonstrati...
View itemA New Standard for Lunar Navigation The mission of Apollo 12 , which touched down on the lunar surface in November 1969, represented a decisive shift in the operational goals of the space programme. While earlier mission...
View itemOn 11 April 1970, the Apollo 13 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, intended to be the third human landing on the Moon. However, the mission was abruptly curtailed following a catastrophic oxygen tank explosi...
View itemOn 13 April 1970, the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon suffered a catastrophic failure when an oxygen tank exploded within the service module. The incident occurred while the spacecraft was en route to the lunar surface, ef...
View itemA New Chapter in Robotic Exploration The arrival of Luna 16 back on Earth on 24 September 1970 represented a profound shift in the capabilities of automated spaceflight. By successfully landing on the lunar surface, extr...
View itemOn 31 January 1971 , the Apollo 14 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, marking NASA 's return to crewed lunar landing attempts following the aborted Apollo 13 mission. The successful launch was a critical mom...
View itemA Return to the Lunar Surface The successful landing of Apollo 14 at the Fra Mauro highlands on 5 February 1971 served as a critical restoration of confidence in the American space programme. Following the harrowing near...
View itemOn 26 July 1971 , the Apollo 15 mission commenced, marking the beginning of the first extended Apollo J-mission . These missions were specifically engineered to facilitate longer durations on the lunar surface and to sup...
View itemA New Era of Lunar Exploration The arrival of Apollo 15 at the lunar surface on 30 July 1971 signalled a fundamental shift in the objectives of the American space programme. While earlier missions had focused primarily o...
View itemOn 30 July 1971, the Apollo 15 mission successfully touched down at the Hadley-Apennine region, marking the commencement of a sophisticated new era in lunar surface exploration. This mission was distinguished by its focu...
View itemOn 16 April 1972 , the Apollo 16 mission commenced its journey to the Moon, marking the penultimate crewed lunar landing of the Apollo programme . Departing from the Kennedy Space Centre , the mission was specifically de...
View itemOn 20 April 1972, the Apollo 16 mission successfully touched down in the Descartes Highlands , a region of the Moon that had been selected for its complex geological features. As the fifth crewed mission to land on the l...
View itemA Target in the Highlands The arrival of the Apollo 16 lunar module in the Descartes Highlands on 21 April 1972 represented a pivotal shift in the objectives of the lunar programme. While previous missions had primarily...
View itemOn 7 December 1972 , the Apollo 17 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, marking the final crewed lunar landing of the Apollo programme . As the concluding expedition of this historic series, the mission repres...
View itemThe Conclusion of the Apollo Era The touchdown of Apollo 17 on 11 December 1972 served as the final chapter in the initial era of crewed lunar exploration. As the culmination of the Apollo programme, the mission represen...
View itemOn 11 December 1972, Apollo 17 successfully touched down on the lunar surface, marking the final crewed mission of the Apollo programme . As the concluding chapter in this historic era of human space exploration, the mis...
View itemOn 22 October 2008 , the Indian Space Research Organisation launched Chandrayaan-1 , marking India's inaugural mission to the Moon. This significant milestone in deep-space exploration was designed to conduct a comprehen...
View itemOn 18 June 2009 , NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on a mission to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Moon. This robotic spacecraft was designed to provide a detailed mapping of the lunar surface,...
View itemOn 9 October 2009 , the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission reached its dramatic conclusion when the spacecraft intentionally impacted the Cabeus crater , located near the Moon's south pole ....
View itemOn 14 December 2013, the Chang'e 3 mission achieved a historic milestone by completing China's first successful soft landing on the Moon . This feat marked a significant advancement in lunar exploration, as it reintroduc...
View itemOn 15 December 2013, the Yutu rover commenced its surface operations following the successful landing of the Chang'e-3 spacecraft. This milestone marked a significant achievement for the Chinese space programme, as it es...
View itemA New Frontier in Lunar Exploration The landing of Chang'e 4 on 3 January 2019 represents a pivotal moment in the history of lunar exploration, as it achieved the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the Moon. For...
View itemA New Era of Lunar Retrieval The return of the Chang'e 5 mission on 16 December 2020 represented a sophisticated leap forward in the history of lunar exploration. By successfully delivering fresh lunar samples to Earth,...
View itemOn 19 January 2024, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), successfully touched down on the lunar surface. This mission was primarily designed to demon...
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