Lunar Mission Summaries
Details of robotic and human spacecraft missions that have been sent to the Moon to explore the lunar surface and determine the Moon's origin.
Lunar Exploration Timeline
(Click here for a text version of the timeline)
Lunar Exploration Timeline
| 1959 | Click here for a list of all lunar instruments. | |||
| Luna 1 | Jan 2, 1959 | Flyby | Instruments | |
| Pioneer 4 | Mar 3, 1959 | Flyby | Instruments | |
| Luna 2 | Sep 12, 1959 | Impact | Instruments | |
| Luna 3 | Oct 4, 1959 | Probe | Instruments | |
1961 | ||||
| Ranger 1 | Aug 23, 1961 | Attempted Test Flight | ||
| Ranger 2 | Nov 18, 1961 | Attempted Test Flight | ||
1962 | ||||
| Ranger 3 | Jan 26, 1962 | Attempted Impact | ||
| Ranger 4 | Apr 23, 1962 | Impact | ||
| Ranger 5 | Oct 18, 1962 | Attempted Impact | ||
1963 | ||||
| Luna 4 | Apr 2, 1963 | Flyby | Instruments | |
1964 | ||||
| Ranger 6 | Jan 30, 1964 | Impact | ||
| Ranger 7 | Jul 28, 1964 | Impact | Instruments | |
| 1965 | ||||
| Ranger 8 | Feb 17, 1965 | Impact | Instruments | |
| Ranger 9 | Mar 21, 1965 | Impact | Instruments | |
| Luna 5 | May 9, 1965 | Impact | Instruments | |
| Luna 6 | Jun 8, 1965 | Attempted Lander | Instruments | |
| Zond 3 | Jul 18, 1965 | Flyby | Instruments | |
| Luna 7 | Oct 4, 1965 | Impact | Instruments | |
| Luna 8 | Dec 3, 1965 | Impact | Instruments | |
1966 | ||||
| Luna 9 | Jan 31, 1966 | Lander | Instruments | |
| Luna 10 | Mar 31, 1966 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Surveyor 1 | May 30, 1966 | Lander | Instruments | |
| Lunar Orbiter 1 | Aug 10, 1966 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Luna 11 | Aug 24, 1966 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Surveyor 2 | Sep 20, 1966 | Attempted Lander | Instruments | |
| Luna 12 | Oct 22, 1966 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Lunar Orbiter 2 | Nov 6, 1966 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Luna 13 | Dec 21, 1966 | Lander | Instruments | |
1967 | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 3 | Feb 4, 1967 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Surveyor 3 | Apr 17, 1967 | Lander | Instruments | |
| Lunar Orbiter 4 | May 8, 1967 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Surveyor 4 | Jul 14, 1967 | Attempted Lander | Instruments | |
| Lunar Orbiter 5 | Aug 1, 1967 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Surveyor 5 | Sep 8, 1967 | Lander | Instruments | |
| Surveyor 6 | Nov 7, 1967 | Lander | Instruments | |
1968 | ||||
| Surveyor 7 | Jan 7, 1968 | Lander | Instruments | |
| Luna 14 | Apr 7, 1968 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Zond 5 | Sep 15, 1968 | Return Probe | Instruments | Apollo 7 | Oct 11, 1968 |
| Zond 6 | Nov 10, 1968 | Return Probe | Instruments | |
| Apollo 8 | Dec 21, 1968 | Crewed Orbiter | Instruments | |
1969 | ||||
| Apollo 9 | March 3, 1969 | Apollo 10 | May 18, 1969 | Orbiter | Instruments |
| Luna 15 | Jul 13, 1969 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Apollo 11 | Jul 16, 1969 | Crewed Lander | Instruments | |
| Zond 7 | Aug 7, 1969 | Return Probe | Instruments | |
| Apollo 12 | Nov 14, 1969 | Crewed Lander | Instruments | |
1970 | ||||
| Apollo 13 | Apr 11, 1970 | Crewed Lander (aborted) | Instruments | |
| Luna 16 | Sep 12, 1970 | Sample Return | Instruments | |
| Zond 8 | Oct 20, 1970 | Return Probe | Instruments | |
| Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 | Nov 10, 1970 | Rover | Instruments | |
1971 | ||||
| Apollo 14 | Jan 31, 1971 | Crewed Lander | Instruments | |
| Apollo 15 | Jul 26, 1971 | Crewed Lander | Instruments | |
| Luna 18 | Sep 2, 1971 | Impact | Instruments | |
| Luna 19 | Sep 28, 1971 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
1972 | ||||
| Luna 20 | Feb 14, 1972 | Sample Return | Instruments | |
| Apollo 16 | Apr 16, 1972 | Crewed Landing | Instruments | |
| Apollo 17 | Dec 7, 1972 | Crewed Landing | Instruments | |
1973 | ||||
| Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 | Jan 8, 1973 | Rover | Instruments | |
1974 | ||||
| Luna 22 | Jun 2, 1974 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Luna 23 | Oct 28, 1974 | Lander | Instruments | |
1976 | ||||
| Luna 24 | Aug 14, 1976 | Sample Return | Instruments | |
1990 | ||||
| Hiten | Jan 24, 1990 | Flyby, Orbiter, and Impactor | Instruments | |
1994 | ||||
| Clementine | Jan 25, 1994 | Orbiter | Instruments | |
1997 | ||||
| AsiaSat 3/HGS-1 | Dec 24, 1997 | Lunar Flyby | ||
1998 | ||||
| Lunar Prospector | Jan 7, 1998 | Orbiter and Impactor | Instruments | |
2003 | ||||
| SMART 1 | Sep 27, 2003 | Lunar Orbiter | Instruments | |
2007 | ||||
| Kaguya (SELENE) | Sep 14, 2007 | Lunar Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Chang'e 1 | Oct 24, 2007 | Lunar Orbiter | Instruments | |
2008 | ||||
| Chandrayaan-1 | Oct 22, 2008 | Lunar Orbiter | Instruments | |
| Lunar-A | Cancelled | Orbiter and Penetrators | ||
2009 | ||||
| LRO | Jun 18, 2009 | Lunar Orbiter | Instruments | |
| LCROSS | Jun 18, 2009 | Instruments | ||
