Launch Date | Name | Country | Mission | Returned |
Jan 1959 | Lunik 1 (Luna 1) | Russia | Passed Moon. | Data |
Sept 1959 | Luna 2 | Russia | Hard (crash) landed in Mare Imbrium. First probe to land on Moon. | |
Oct 1959 | Luna 3 | Russia | Circled Moon. First photos of far side of Moon. | Images |
(5 year gap) |
July 1964 | Ranger 7 | USA | Hard landed in Mare Nubium | Images |
Feb 1965 | Ranger 8 | USA | Hard lander. | Images |
Mar 1965 | Ranger 9 | USA | Hard landed in Alphonsus. | Images |
July 1965 | Zond 3 | Russia | Close to Moon. | Images |
Jan 1966 | Luna 9 | Russia | Soft landed in Oceanus Procellum. First soft landing. | Images |
Mar 1966 | Russia | Luna 10 | Lunar satellite. First artificial lunar satellite. | Images |
May 1966 | Surveyor 1 | USA | Soft landed near Flamsteed. Detailed local area exploration. | Images |
Aug 1966 | Orbiter 1 | USA | Lunar satellite. Crashed on Moon at end of mission. | Images |
Aug 1966 | Luna 11 | Russia | Lunar satellite. | Images & data |
Oct 1966 | Luna 12 | Russia | Lunar satellite. | Images & data |
Nov 1966 | Orbiter 2 | USA | Lunar satellite. Crashed on Moon at end of mission. | Images |
Dec 1966 | Luna 13 | Russia | Landed in Oceanus Procellum. | Images & data |
1967 | Orbiter 3 | USA | Lunar satellite. Crashed on Moon at end of mission. | Images |
Apr 1967 | Surveyor 3 | USA | Landed in Oceanus Procellum. | Images & data |
May 1967 | Orbiter 4 | USA | Lunar satellite. Crashed on Moon at end of mission. | Images |
Aug 1967 | Orbiter 5 | USA | Lunar satellite. Crashed on Moon at end of mission. | Images |
Sept 1967 | Surveyor 5 | USA | Soft landed in Mare Tranquilitatus. Detailed local area exploration. | Images & data |
Nov 1967 | Surveyor 6 | USA | Soft landed in Sinus Medii. Detailed local area exploration. | Images & data |
Jan 1968 | Surveyor 7 | USA | Soft landed on rim of Tycho. Detailed local area exploration. | Images and data |
Apr 1968 | Luna 14 | Russia | Lunar satellite. | Images & data |
Sept 1968 | Zond 5 | Russia | Circled Moon & returned to Earth. Carried plants, seeds & insects. | Images |
Nov 1968 | Zond 6 | Russia | Circled Moon & returned to Earth. | Images |
(Apollo manned Moon missions start.) |
Dec 1968 | Apollo 8 | USA | Manned flight round the Moon | |
May 1969 | Apollo 10 | USA | Manned test of Lunar Module in Lunar orbit | |
July 1969 | Apollo 11 | USA | First Moon landing | Samples |
Aug 1969 | Zond 7 | Russia | Circled Moon | Images & data |
Nov 1969 | Apollo 12 | USA | Second Moon landing | Samples |
Apr 1970 | Apollo 13 | USA | Aborted Moon landing, circled Moon | |
Sept 1970 | Luna 16 | Russia | Soft landed in Mare Foecunditatis, samples fired back to Earth in rocket capsule | Samples |
Oct 1970 | Zond 8 | Russia | Circled Moon and returned to Earth | Images & data |
Nov 1970 | Luna 17 | Russia | Carried Lunokhod 1 which operated in Mare Imbrium for 11 months | Images & data |
Jan 1971 | Apollo 14 | USA | Third Moon landing | Samples |
July 1971 | Apollo 15 | USA | Forth Moon landing | Samples |
Sept 1971 | Luna 19 | Russia | Lunar satellite | |
Feb 1972 | Luna 20 | Russia | Landed near Apollonius, samples fired back to Earth in rocket capsule | Samples |
Apr 1972 | Apollo 16 | USA | Fifth Moon landing | Samples |
Dec 1972 | Apollo 17 | USA | Sixth Moon landing | Samples |
(Apollo manned Moon missions end.) |
Jan 1973 | Luna 21 | Russia | Carried Lunokhod 2 which operated in Le Monnier area for 4 months | |
May 1974 | Luna 22 | Russia | Lunar satellite | Images & data |
Aug 1976 | Luna 24 | Russia | Landed in Mare Crisium, samples returned to Earth | Samples |
(More recent missions.) |
Jan 1990 | Hagamore | Japan | Satellite, crashed near Furnerius after 3 months | Data |
Dec 1990 | Galileo | USA | Flew past Moon en route for Jupiter | Images |
Jan 1994 | Clementine | USA? | Orbited moon for 4 months, nor in Solar orbit | Images & data |
Jan 1998 | Shoemaker | USA | Flew past Moon en route for Eros | Images |
Jan 1999 | Prospector | USA? | Moon orbiter, searching for lunar ice, crashed into polar crater after 6 months | |
Aug 1999 | Cassini | USA | Flew past Moon en route for Saturn | Images |