The first Moon mission was not Apollo 11. Robotic spacecraft from the Soviet Union and the United States reached the Moon a full decade earlier. This timeline lists the most important firsts, with launch dates taken from NASA's Lunar Exploration Timeline.
The first Moon missions at a glance
- Luna 1 (USSR, launched 2 January 1959): first spacecraft to fly by the Moon.
- Pioneer 4 (USA, launched 3 March 1959): first US lunar flyby.
- Luna 2 (USSR, launched 12 September 1959): first spacecraft to impact the Moon.
- Luna 3 (USSR, launched 4 October 1959): returned the first images of the far side.
- Ranger 7 (USA, launched 28 July 1964): sent close-up television images before impact.
- Luna 9 (USSR, launched 31 January 1966): first soft landing on the Moon.
- Luna 10 (USSR, launched 31 March 1966): first spacecraft to orbit the Moon.
- Surveyor 1 (USA, launched 30 May 1966): first US soft landing.
- Apollo 8 (USA, launched 21 December 1968): first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon.
- Apollo 11 (USA, launched 16 July 1969): first crewed landing, on 20 July 1969.
What was the first mission to the Moon?
NASA states that in 1959 the USSR's Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to fly by the Moon. The first hard contact followed the same year with Luna 2.
What was the first Moon landing?
The answer depends on what you mean. The first soft landing of any spacecraft was Luna 9 in 1966. The first human landing was Apollo 11 in July 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle while Michael Collins stayed in orbit. Surveyor 1 was the first American soft lander and, according to NASA, demonstrated the technology needed to land and operate on the surface.
The Apollo era
During the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972, 12 American astronauts walked on the Moon. NASA says they brought back 382 kilograms (842 pounds) of rock and soil. Apollo 17, launched in December 1972, was the last crewed landing so far. The cover image shows geologist astronaut Harrison Schmitt beside a large boulder during that mission.
After Apollo
NASA's lunar robotic exploration resumed in the 1990s with Clementine and Lunar Prospector, followed by LRO and LCROSS in 2009 and GRAIL in 2012. According to NASA, four nations had landed successfully on the Moon as of January 2024: the USSR, the United States, India and China. Artemis I flew Orion around the Moon in 2022, and Artemis II carried four astronauts around the far side.
Frequently asked questions
Who went to the Moon first?
The first spacecraft was the Soviet Luna 1 in 1959. The first humans were the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969.
When was the first Moon landing?
The first crewed landing was on 20 July 1969. The first robotic soft landing was Luna 9 in early 1966.
How many people have walked on the Moon?
Twelve, all during NASA's Apollo program between 1969 and 1972.
What was the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon?
Luna 10, launched in March 1966.
Related reading
Sources
- NASA Science: Moon Exploration
- NASA NSSDCA: Lunar Exploration Timeline
- NASA NSSDCA: Surveyor 1
- NASA NSSDCA: Apollo 8
Cover image: Harrison Schmitt at Station 6 during the third Apollo 17 moonwalk, photographed by Eugene Cernan, December 1972. Credit: NASA (AS17-146-22294), public domain.