Lunar Exploration Timeline
Note: Launches of Soviet spacecraft occurred from the Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Tyuratam, USSR, unless noted.
Launches of US spacecraft occurred from Cape Canaveral, FL, unless noted.
Luna 2 USSR - Sep 12, 1959 - Impact Impacted Moon 13 Sep 1959 at 22:02:04 UT Latitude 29.10 N, Longitude 0.00 - Palus Putredinis Luna 3 USSR - Oct 4, 1959 - Probe Launched at 2:24:00 UT. Ranger 7 USA - Jul 28, 1964 - Impact Impacted Moon 31 July 1964 at 13:25:49 UT Latitude 10.35 S, Longitude 339.42 E - Mare Cognitum (Sea of Clouds) Ranger 8 USA - Feb 17, 1965 - Impact Impacted Moon 20 February 1965 at 09:57:37 UT Latitude 2.67 N, Longitude 24.65 E - (Sea of Tranquility Ranger 9 USA - Mar 21, 1965 - Impact Impacted Moon 24 March 1965 at 14:08:20 UT Latitude 12.83 S, Longitude 357.63 E - Alphonsus Zond 3 USSR - Jul 18, 1965 - Flyby Launched at 14:38:00 UT Luna 9 USSR - Jan 31, 1966 - Lander Launched at 11:45:00 UT Landed on Moon 03 Feb 1966 at 18:44:52 UT Latitude 7.08 N, Longitude 295.63 E - Oceanus Procellarum 1st successful lunar landing. Luna 10 USSR - Mar 31, 1966 - Orbiter Launched at 10:48:00 UT Surveyor 1 USA - May 30, 1966 - Lander Landed 02 June 1966, 06:17:37 UT Latitude 2.45 S, Longitude 316.79 E - Flamsteed P Lunar Orbiter 1 USA - Aug 10, 1966 - Orbiter Luna 11 USSR - Aug 24, 1966 - Orbiter Launched at 8:09:00 UT Surveyor 2 USA - Sep 20, 1966 - Lander (aborted) Crashed on Moon 22 September 1966 Engine failed to ignite - southeast of Copernicus Crater Luna 12 USSR - Oct 22, 1966 - Orbiter Launched at 08:38:00 UT. Lunar Orbiter 2 USA - Nov 6, 1966 - Orbiter Luna 13 USSR - Dec 21, 1966 - Lander Launched at 10:19:00 UT Landed on Moon 24 Dec 1966 at 18:01:00 UT Latitude 18.87 N, 297.95 E - Oceanus Procellarum Lunar Orbiter 3 USA - Feb 4, 1967 - Orbiter Surveyor 3 USA - Apr 17, 1967 - Lander Landed 20 April 1967, 00:04:53 UT Latitude 2.94 S, Longitude 336.66 E - Oceanus Procellarum Lunar Orbiter 4 USA - May 8, 1967 - Orbiter Surveyor 4 USA - July 14, 1967 - Lander (aborted) Radio contact lost 17 July 1967 2.5 minutes from touchdown - Sinus Medii Lunar Orbiter 5 USA - Aug 1, 1967 - Orbiter Surveyor 5 USA - Sep 8, 1967 - Lander Landed 11 September 1967, 00:46:44 UT Latitude 1.41 N, Longitude 23.18 E - Sea of Tranquility Surveyor 6 USA - Nov 7, 1967 - Lander Landed 10 November 1967, 01:01:06 UT Latitude 0.46 N, Longitude 358.63 E - Sinus Medii Surveyor 7 USA - Jan 7, 1968 - Lander Landed 10 January 1968, 01:05:36 UT Latitude 41.01 S, Longitude 348.59 E - Tycho North Rim Luna 14 USSR - Apr 7, 1968 - Orbiter Zond 5 USSR - Sep 15, 1968 - Return Probe Satellite contained living biological specimens. Orbited Moon on Sep 18th. Returned to Earth Sep 21st with cargo intact. Zond 6 USSR - Nov 10, 1968 - Return Probe Like Zond 5, contained a biological payload, but the emphasis was more on surface photography. Orbited Moon Nov 14th; landed in USSR Nov 17th. Apollo 8 USA - Dec 21, 1968 - Manned Orbiter Apollo 10 USA - May 18, 1969 - Orbiter Apollo 11 USA - Jul 16, 1969 - Manned Landing Zond 7 USSR - Aug 7, 1969 - Return Probe Flew by Moon on Aug 11; returned to USSR on Aug 14th. Apollo 12 USA - Nov 14, 1969 - Manned Landing Apollo 13 USA - Apr 11, 1970 - Manned Landing (aborted) Luna 16 USSR - Sep 12, 1970 - Sample Return Landed on Moon 20 Sep 1970 at 05:18:00 UT Latitude 0.68 S, Longitude 56.30 E - Mare Fecunditatis Ascent stage landed in USSR on 24 Sep 1970 Zond 8 USSR - Oct 20, 1970 - Return Probe Flew by Moon Oct 24; returned to Indian Ocean Oct 27th. Luna 17 USSR - Nov 10, 1970 - Rover Landed on Moon 17 Nov 1970 at 03:47:00 UT Latitude 38.28 N, Longitude 325.00 E - Mare Imbrium Ceased operating Oct 4, 1971 Apollo 14 USA - Jan 31, 1971 - Manned Landing Apollo 15 USA - Jul 26, 1971 - Manned Landing Luna 19 USSR - Sep 28, 1971 - Orbiter Luna 20 USSR - Feb 14, 1972 - Sample Return Landed on Moon 21 Feb 1972 at 19:19:00 UT Latitude 3.57 N, Longitude 56.50 E - Mare Fecunditatis Ascent stage landed in USSR on Feb 25, 1972 Apollo 16 USA - Apr 16, 1972 - Manned Landing Apollo 17 USA - Dec 7, 1972 - Manned Landing Luna 21 USSR - Jan 8, 1973 - Rover Landed on Moon 15 Jan 1973 at 23:35:00 UT Latitude 25.51 N, Longitude 30.38 E - Mare Serenitatis Luna 22 USSR - Jun 2, 1974 - Orbiter Luna 24 USSR - Aug 14, 1976 - Sample Return Launched at 14:04:00 UT Landed on Moon 18 Aug 1976 at 02:00:00 UT Latitude 12.25 N, Longitude 62.20 E - Mare Crisium Ascent stage landed in USSR on Aug 22, 1976. Galileo USA - Oct 18, 1989 - Flyby Launched at 23:23:40 UT from Atlantis Shuttle. Imaged Moon on its trajectory to Jupiter. Lunar Prospector USA - Jan 6, 1998 - Lander Launched at 9:28:44 p.m. EST from Complex 46.
Space Accident Data: Non-planetary Missions
Clementine USA - Jan 25, 1994 - Orbiter Launched at 16:34 UT from Vandenburg AFB Originally slated to also flyby asteroid 1620 Geographos, a malfunction in a thruster on May 7, 1994 14:39 UT resulted in abort of the asteroid part of the mission. GPS/Delta USA - Jan 25, 1997 - Earth satellite Launched at 11:28 am EST from Cape Canaveral. Exploded 21 sec after launch, spraying debris over the launch site and neighboring Brevard County. Titan 4A USA - Aug 12, 1998 - Top Secret Earth satellite Launched at 7:30 am EDT from Cape Canaveral. Rocket began to self-destruct 40 seconds into launch; had some problems with toxic fuel debris. Cause of crash: electrical outage just before explosion. Delta III USA - Aug 26, 1998 - Inaugural flight Launched at 9:17 pm EDT from Cape Canaveral. Exploded 1 minute into flight. SMART-1 ESA - Sep 27, 2003 - lunar science Launched 23:14 UT Kourou, French Guiana.
