Click a column heading eg Launch date to sort ascending, and a second time to sort descending. Click REFRESH to restore original layout.
| Mission ▲▼ | Mass (kg) | Launch vehicle | Launch date | Goal | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USSR Luna-01 | 361 | 2 January 1959 | Impact | Partial success – first spacecraft to reach escape velocity, lunar flyby, solar orbit; missed the Moon | |
| USSR Luna-02 | 390 | Semyorka – 8K72 | 12 September 1959 | Impact | Success – first lunar impact |
| USSR Luna-03 | 270 | Semyorka – 8K72 | 4 October 1959 | Flyby | Success – first photos of lunar far side |
| US Pioneer 4 | 6 | Juno | 3 March 1959 | Flyby | Partial success – first US craft to reach escape velocity, lunar flyby too far to shoot photos due to targeting error; solar orbit |
| US Ranger 4 | 331 | Atlas – Agena | 23 April 1962 | Landing | Partial success – first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body; crash impact – no photos returned |
| US Ranger 7 | 367 | Atlas – Agena | 28 July 1964 | Impact | Success – returned 4308 photos, crash impact |
| US Ranger 8 | 367 | Atlas – Agena | 17 February 1965 | Impact | Success – returned 7137 photos, crash impact |
| US Ranger 9 | 367 | Atlas – Agena | 21 March 1965 | Impact | Success – returned 5814 photos, crash impact |
| USSR Luna-09 | 1580 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 31 January 1966 | Landing | Success – first lunar soft landing, numerous photos
Oceanus Procellarum 7.13°N 64.37°W |
| USSR Luna-13 | 1580 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 21 December 1966 | Landing | Success – second lunar soft landing, numerous photos
Oceanus Procellarum 18°52'N 62°3'W |
| USSR Luna-16 | 5,600 | Proton | 12 September 1970 | Sample return | Success – returned 0.10 kg of Moon soil back to Earth
Mare Fecunditatis 000.68S 056.30E |
| USSR Luna-17 | 5,700 | Proton | 10 November 1970 | Lunar rover | Success – Lunokhod-1 rover traveled 10.5 km across lunar surface
Mare Imbrium 038.28N 325.00E |
| USSR Luna-20 | 5,727 | Proton | 14 February 1972 | Sample return | Success – returned 0.05 kg of Moon soil back to Earth
Mare Fecunditatis 003.57N 056.50E |
| USSR Luna-21 | 5,950 | Proton | 8 January 1973 | Lunar rover | Success – Lunokhod-2 rover traveled 37.0 km across lunar surface
LeMonnier Crater 025.85N 030.45E |
| USSR Luna-24 | 5,800 | Proton | 9 August 1976 | Sample return | Success – returned 0.17 kg of Moon soil back to Earth
Mare Crisium 012.25N 062.20E |
| US Surveyor 1 | 292 | Atlas – Centaur | 30 May 1966 | Landing | Success – 11,000 pictures returned, first U.S. Moon landing
Oceanus Procellarum 002.45S 043.22W |
| US Surveyor 3 | 302 | Atlas – Centaur | 20 April 1967 | Landing | Success – 6,000 pictures returned; trench dug to 17.5 cm depth after 18 hr of robot arm use
Oceanus Procellarum 002.94S 336.66E |
| US Surveyor 5 | 303 | Atlas – Centaur | 8 September 1967 | Landing | Success – 19,000 photos returned, first use of alpha scatter soil composition monitor
Mare Tranquillitatis 001.41N 023.18E |
| US Surveyor 6 | 300 | Atlas – Centaur | 7 November 1967 | Landing | Success – 30,000 photos returned, robot arm and alpha scatter science, engine restart, second landing 2.5 m away from first
Sinus Medii 000.46N 358.63E |
| US Surveyor 7 | 306 | Atlas – Centaur | 7 January 1968 | Landing | Success – 21,000 photos returned; robot arm and alpha scatter science; laser beams from Earth detected
Tycho Crater 041.01S 348.59E |
| USSR Luna-10 | 1,582 | Molniya-M | 31 March 1966 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 2,738 km x 2,088 km x 72 deg orbit, 178 m period, 60-day science mission |
| USSR Luna-11 | 1,640 | Molniya-M | 24 August 1966 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 2,931 km x 1,898 km x 27 deg orbit, 178 m period, 38-day science mission |
| USSR Luna-12 | 1,620 | Molniya-M | 22 October 1966 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 2,938 km x 1,871 km x 10 deg orbit, 205 m period, 89-day science mission |
| USSR Cosmos-159 | 1,700 | Molniya-M | 17 May 1967 | Prototype test | Success – high Earth orbit crewed landing communications gear radio calibration test |
| USSR Luna-14 | 1,700 | Molniya-M | 7 April 1968 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 870 km x 160 km x 42 deg orbit, 160 m period, unstable orbit, radio calibration test? |
| USSR Luna-19 | 5,700 | Proton | 28 September 1971 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 140 km x 140 km x 41 deg orbit, 121 m period, 388-day science mission |
| USSR Luna-22 | 5,700 | Proton | 29 May 1974 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 222 km x 219 km x 19 deg orbit, 130 m period, 521-day science mission |
| 386 | Atlas – Agena | 10 August 1966 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 1,160 km X 189 km x 12 deg orbit, 208 m period, 80-day photography mission | |
| US Lunar Orbiter 2 | 386 | Atlas – Agena | 6 November 1966 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 1,860 km X 52 km x 12 deg orbit, 208 m period, 339-day photography mission |
| US Lunar Orbiter 3 | 386 | Atlas – Agena | 5 February 1967 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 1,860 km X 52 km x 21 deg orbit, 208 m period, 246-day photography mission |
| US Lunar Orbiter 4 | 386 | Atlas – Agena | 4 May 1967 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 6,111 km X 2,706 km x 86 deg orbit, 721 m period, 180-day photography mission |
| US Lunar Orbiter 5 | 386 | Atlas – Agena | 1 August 1967 | Lunar orbiter | Success – 6,023 km X 195 km x 85 deg orbit, 510 m period, 183-day photography mission |
| 5,400 | Proton | 10 March 1967 | High Earth Orbit
uncrewed |
Partial success – Successfully reached high Earth orbit, but became stranded and was unable to initiate controlled high speed atmospheric reentry test | |
| USSR Cosmos-154 | 5,400 | Proton | 8 April 1967 | High Earth Orbit
uncrewed |
Partial success – Successfully reached high Earth orbit, but became stranded and was unable to initiate controlled high speed atmospheric reentry test |
| USSR Zond-4 | 5,140 | Proton | 2 March 1968 | High Earth Orbit
uncrewed |
Partial success – launched successfully to 300,000 km high Earth orbit, high speed reentry test guidance malfunction, intentional self-destruct to prevent landfall outside Soviet Union |
| USSR Zond-5 | 5,375 | Proton | Circumlunar Loop
non-human biological payload |
Success – looped around Moon, returned two tortoises and other live biological specimens and payload safely to Earth despite landing off-target outside the Soviet Union in the Indian Ocean | |
| USSR Zond-6 | 5,375 | Proton | 10 November 1968 | Circumlunar Loop
non-human biological payload |
Partial success – looped around Moon, successful reentry, but loss of cabin air pressure caused biological payload death, parachute system malfunction and severe vehicle damage upon landing |
| USSR Zond-7 | 5,979 | Proton | 8 August 1969 | Circumlunar Loop
non-human biological payload |
Success – looped around Moon, returned biological payload safely to Earth and landed on-target inside Soviet Union. Only Zond mission whose reentry G-forces would have been survivable by human crew had they been aboard. |
| USSR Zond-8 | 5,375 | Proton | 20 October 1970 | Circumlunar Loop
non-human biological payload |
Success – looped around Moon, returned biological payload safely to Earth despite landing off-target outside Soviet Union in the Indian Ocean |
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