# The Race to the Moon

From Sputnik to the last footsteps on the Moon, 1957–1975, then the return: robotic landers from China, India, Japan and private companies, and Artemis II, the first crewed flight around the Moon since 1972. Zoom in on any programme to see its missions, and keep zooming into Apollo 11 to follow the landing minute by minute.

- Interactive timeline: https://www.timelinetraveler.com/timeline/race-to-the-moon-timeline
- Last updated: 2026-09-24
- 91 events in 4 lanes: Soviet Union and Russia, United States, Robotic explorers, Politics & culture
- Times are shown in UTC.

## Events

Events are in date order. Indented events happen within the event above them.

- **Oct 4, 1957, 19:28** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Sputnik 1: the first artificial satellite**: A 58 cm metal sphere with four antennas is launched from Baikonur. Its radio beeps can be heard by amateurs around the world, and the Space Age begins.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Sputnik 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1)
- **Nov 3, 1957** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Sputnik 2 carries Laika**: The dog Laika becomes the first animal to orbit Earth. She dies within hours from overheating; the spacecraft was never designed to return.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Sputnik 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_2); [Wikipedia: Laika](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika)
- **1958 – 1963** · United States · **Project Mercury**: The first US human spaceflight programme: can a person survive in space, and come home? Zoom in for its flights.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Project Mercury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mercury)
  - **May 5, 1961, 14:34** · United States · **Alan Shepard: first American in space**: Freedom 7 flies a 15-minute suborbital arc into space and back, splashing down in the Atlantic.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Mercury-Redstone 3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_3)
  - **Feb 20, 1962** · United States · **John Glenn orbits Earth**: Aboard Friendship 7, Glenn becomes the first American to orbit Earth, circling it three times.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Mercury-Atlas 6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Atlas_6)
  - **May 15, 1963 – May 16, 1963** · United States · **Faith 7: the last Mercury flight**: Gordon Cooper spends more than a day in orbit and flies the capsule home by hand after its electrical systems fail.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Mercury-Atlas 9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Atlas_9)
- **Feb 1, 1958, 03:47:56** · United States · **Explorer 1: the first US satellite**: Four months after Sputnik, the US reaches orbit. James Van Allen’s instrument aboard discovers the radiation belts around Earth that now bear his name.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Explorer 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_1); [Wikipedia: Van Allen radiation belt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Allen_radiation_belt)
- **Jul 29, 1958** · Politics & culture · **NASA is created**: President Eisenhower signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating a civilian space agency in response to Sputnik.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: NASA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA); [Wikipedia: National Aeronautics and Space Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Aeronautics_and_Space_Act)
- **Sep 14, 1959** · Robotic explorers · **Luna 2 hits the Moon**: The Soviet probe becomes the first human-made object to reach another world, crashing into the Moon.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_2)
- **Oct 7, 1959** · Robotic explorers · **Luna 3 photographs the far side**: For the first time, people see the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth. It looks surprisingly different, with few dark “seas”.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_3); [Wikipedia: Far side of the Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_side_of_the_Moon)
- **1961 – Dec 19, 1972** · United States · **The Apollo programme**: The programme that landed twelve astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. Zoom in to see each mission, and keep zooming into Apollo 11.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program)
  - **Jan 27, 1967** · United States · **Apollo 1 fire**: A fire during a launch-pad rehearsal kills Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. The spacecraft is redesigned before anyone flies.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1)
  - **Oct 11, 1968 – Oct 22, 1968** · United States · **Apollo 7: back in space**: The first crewed Apollo flight tests the redesigned command and service module in Earth orbit for almost eleven days.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7)
  - **Dec 21, 1968, 12:51 – Dec 27, 1968, 15:51** · United States · **Apollo 8: first humans to orbit the Moon**: Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders become the first people to leave Earth orbit and see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8)
    - **Dec 24, 1968, 16:40** · United States · **“Earthrise” is photographed**: On the fourth orbit, Bill Anders photographs Earth rising over the lunar horizon: one of the most influential environmental photographs ever taken.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Earthrise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise)
  - **Mar 3, 1969 – Mar 13, 1969** · United States · **Apollo 9: the lunar module flies**: The lunar module is flown with a crew for the first time, in Earth orbit.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_9)
  - **May 18, 1969 – May 26, 1969** · United States · **Apollo 10: dress rehearsal**: Everything but the landing: the lunar module descends to about 15 km above the Moon’s surface.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 10](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_10)
  - **Jul 16, 1969, 13:32 – Jul 24, 1969, 16:50** · United States · **Apollo 11: the first Moon landing**: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins fly to the Moon. Keep zooming: the mission opens into days, and the landing into minutes.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
    - **Jul 16, 1969, 13:32** · United States · **Lift-off from Kennedy Space Center**: The Saturn V lifts off from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, watched by around a million people nearby and many millions on television.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11); [Wikipedia: Saturn V](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V)
    - **Jul 16, 1969, 16:16** · United States · **Translunar injection**: The third stage fires again to push the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and onto a path to the Moon.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Trans-lunar injection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-lunar_injection)
    - **Jul 19, 1969, 17:21** · United States · **Arrival in lunar orbit**: Behind the Moon, out of radio contact, the service module engine fires to slow the spacecraft into lunar orbit.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
    - **Jul 20, 1969, 17:44** · United States · **Eagle separates from Columbia**: Armstrong and Aldrin undock the lunar module Eagle. Michael Collins stays behind, orbiting alone in the command module Columbia.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11); [Wikipedia: Michael Collins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Collins_(astronaut))
    - **Jul 20, 1969, 20:05** · United States · **Powered descent begins**: Eagle’s descent engine fires for the twelve-minute descent to the surface.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
    - **c. Jul 20, 1969, 20:10** · United States · **The “1202” program alarm**: The guidance computer, overloaded with work, raises alarms. Mission Control judges it safe to continue: the software, led by Margaret Hamilton’s team, drops lower-priority tasks and keeps flying.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11); [Wikipedia: Apollo Guidance Computer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer); [Wikipedia: Margaret Hamilton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton_(software_engineer))
    - **Jul 20, 1969, 20:17:40** · United States · **“The Eagle has landed”**: Armstrong steers past a boulder-strewn crater and sets Eagle down in the Sea of Tranquility with little fuel left.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11); [Wikipedia: Tranquility Base](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranquility_Base)
    - **Jul 21, 1969, 02:56:15** · United States · **Armstrong steps onto the Moon**: “That’s one small step for \[a\] man, one giant leap for mankind.” An estimated 600 million people watch live.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
    - **Jul 21, 1969, 03:15:16** · United States · **Aldrin joins him**: Buzz Aldrin climbs down about 19 minutes later and describes the view as “magnificent desolation”.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11); [Wikipedia: Buzz Aldrin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin)
    - **Jul 21, 1969, 05:11** · United States · **Moonwalk ends**: After about two and a half hours outside, collecting 21.5 kg of samples and setting up experiments, the astronauts seal the hatch.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
    - **Jul 21, 1969, 17:54** · United States · **Eagle lifts off from the Moon**: The ascent stage fires, leaving the descent stage behind as a launch platform, and climbs back to Columbia.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
    - **Jul 24, 1969, 16:50** · United States · **Splashdown in the Pacific**: Columbia lands in the Pacific and the crew is recovered by USS Hornet, then quarantined for 21 days in case of lunar germs.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11); [Wikipedia: USS Hornet (CV-12)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hornet_(CV-12))
  - **Nov 14, 1969 – Nov 24, 1969** · United States · **Apollo 12: a pinpoint landing**: Lightning strikes the rocket twice during launch. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean then land within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 probe.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 12](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_12)
  - **Apr 11, 1970, 19:13 – Apr 17, 1970, 18:07** · United States · **Apollo 13: “a successful failure”**: An oxygen tank explodes on the way to the Moon. The crew use the lunar module as a lifeboat and loop around the Moon to get home.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 13](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13)
    - **Apr 14, 1970, 03:08** · United States · **“Houston, we’ve had a problem”**: Oxygen tank 2 in the service module explodes, crippling the spacecraft about 56 hours into the flight.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 13](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13)
  - **Jan 31, 1971 – Feb 9, 1971** · United States · **Apollo 14**: Alan Shepard, America’s first astronaut, walks on the Moon and hits two golf balls.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 14](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_14)
  - **Jul 26, 1971 – Aug 7, 1971** · United States · **Apollo 15: the Lunar Roving Vehicle**: The first of the longer “J missions”. Astronauts drive an electric rover across the Moon, finding the ancient “Genesis Rock”.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 15](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_15); [Wikipedia: Lunar Roving Vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Roving_Vehicle)
  - **Apr 16, 1972 – Apr 27, 1972** · United States · **Apollo 16**: The first landing in the lunar highlands, at Descartes.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 16](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_16)
  - **Dec 7, 1972, 05:33 – Dec 19, 1972, 19:54** · United States · **Apollo 17: the last Moon landing**: Geologist Harrison Schmitt becomes the only scientist to walk on the Moon. No one has been back since.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 17](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17)
    - **Dec 7, 1972, 10:39** · United States · **“The Blue Marble” is photographed**: About five hours after launch, the crew photograph the whole Earth fully lit by the Sun, one of the most reproduced images in history.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: The Blue Marble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Marble)
    - **Dec 14, 1972** · United States · **The last footsteps on the Moon**: Eugene Cernan climbs into the lunar module last, saying they leave “as we came and, God willing, as we shall return”.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo 17](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17); [Wikipedia: Eugene Cernan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Cernan)
- **Apr 12, 1961 – Jun 19, 1963** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Vostok programme**: The first Soviet human spaceflight programme: six single-seat flights. Zoom in to see them.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Vostok programme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_programme)
  - **Apr 12, 1961, 06:07 – 07:55** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Yuri Gagarin: first human in space**: Aboard Vostok 1, Gagarin completes one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes, then ejects and parachutes to the ground near Engels.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Vostok 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_1); [Wikipedia: Yuri Gagarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin)
  - **Aug 6, 1961 – Aug 7, 1961** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Vostok 2: a full day in orbit**: Gherman Titov spends more than 25 hours in orbit and becomes the first person to sleep in space.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Vostok 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_2)
  - **Jun 16, 1963 – Jun 19, 1963** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Valentina Tereshkova: first woman in space**: Aboard Vostok 6, Tereshkova orbits Earth 48 times in almost three days. Another woman would not fly in space for 19 years.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Vostok 6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_6); [Wikipedia: Valentina Tereshkova](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentina_Tereshkova)
- **May 25, 1961** · Politics & culture · **Kennedy sets the goal**: Six weeks after Gagarin, President Kennedy asks Congress to commit to “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth” before the decade is out.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program)
- **Sep 12, 1962** · Politics & culture · **“We choose to go to the Moon”**: At Rice University, Kennedy explains why: “not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
  Sources: [Wikipedia: We choose to go to the Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_choose_to_go_to_the_Moon)
- **Jul 31, 1964** · Robotic explorers · **Ranger 7 sends close-ups**: After six failed Rangers, the seventh returns more than 4,000 photographs in the minutes before it crashes into the Moon.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Ranger 7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_7)
- **Oct 12, 1964 – Mar 19, 1965** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Voskhod programme**: Two flights adapted from Vostok to beat the American Gemini programme to multi-person crews and spacewalks.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Voskhod programme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voskhod_programme)
  - **Oct 12, 1964 – Oct 13, 1964** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Voskhod 1: first multi-person crew**: Three cosmonauts squeeze into a capsule built for one or two, flying without spacesuits.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Voskhod 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voskhod_1)
  - **Mar 18, 1965** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Alexei Leonov: first spacewalk**: Leonov spends about 12 minutes outside Voskhod 2. His suit balloons in the vacuum and he has to vent air to squeeze back through the airlock.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Voskhod 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voskhod_2); [Wikipedia: Alexei Leonov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Leonov)
- **Mar 23, 1965 – Nov 15, 1966** · United States · **Project Gemini**: Ten crewed flights that practise everything a Moon landing needs: long missions, spacewalks, rendezvous and docking.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Project Gemini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gemini)
  - **Jun 3, 1965** · United States · **Ed White: first American spacewalk**: During Gemini 4, White floats outside for about 23 minutes on a tether, steering with a hand-held gas gun.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Gemini 4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_4)
  - **Dec 15, 1965** · United States · **First rendezvous in orbit**: Gemini 6A pulls within about 30 cm of Gemini 7: two crewed spacecraft deliberately meet in orbit for the first time.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Gemini 6A](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_6A)
  - **Mar 16, 1966** · United States · **Gemini 8: first docking**: Neil Armstrong and David Scott dock with an uncrewed Agena target, then a stuck thruster sends them into a violent spin that Armstrong brings under control.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Gemini 8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8)
  - **Nov 11, 1966 – Nov 15, 1966** · United States · **Gemini 12: spacewalking solved**: Using footholds, handholds and underwater training, Buzz Aldrin shows that useful work outside a spacecraft is possible.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Gemini 12](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_12)
- **Feb 3, 1966** · Robotic explorers · **Luna 9: first soft landing**: The Soviet lander touches down intact and sends back the first pictures from the surface, proving the ground can support a spacecraft.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_9)
- **Jun 2, 1966** · Robotic explorers · **Surveyor 1 lands**: The first American soft landing on the Moon, returning over 11,000 pictures.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Surveyor 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveyor_1)
- **Aug 23, 1966** · Robotic explorers · **First picture of Earth from the Moon**: Lunar Orbiter 1, mapping possible Apollo landing sites, turns to photograph Earth over the lunar horizon.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Lunar Orbiter 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Orbiter_1)
- **Jan 27, 1967** · Politics & culture · **Outer Space Treaty**: The US, UK and USSR sign a treaty declaring that no nation can claim the Moon or other celestial bodies, and banning nuclear weapons in space.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Outer Space Treaty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty)
- **Apr 24, 1967** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Soyuz 1: Vladimir Komarov is killed**: The first crewed Soyuz is plagued by failures; on re-entry its parachutes fail to open and Komarov becomes the first person to die during a spaceflight.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Soyuz 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_1)
- **Sep 14, 1968 – Sep 21, 1968** · Robotic explorers · **Zond 5: tortoises around the Moon**: Two tortoises, insects and plants become the first living things to travel around the Moon and return safely to Earth.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Zond 5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_5)
- **Feb 21, 1969 – Nov 23, 1972** · Soviet Union and Russia · **The N1 Moon rocket**: The giant rocket meant to carry cosmonauts to the Moon. All four launches failed, and the Soviet crewed lunar programme was cancelled.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: N1 (rocket)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N1_(rocket))
  - **Jul 3, 1969** · Soviet Union and Russia · **N1 explodes on the launch pad**: Seconds after lift-off the second N1 falls back onto its pad, one of the largest rocket explosions in history, less than two weeks before Apollo 11 launches.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: N1 (rocket)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N1_(rocket))
- **Jul 21, 1969, 15:50** · Robotic explorers · **Luna 15 crashes during Apollo 11**: A Soviet robot sent to scoop up lunar soil before the Americans could crashes into the Sea of Crises while Armstrong and Aldrin are still on the surface.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 15](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_15)
- **Sep 24, 1970** · Robotic explorers · **Luna 16 returns Moon rock by robot**: The first robotic sample return: 101 grams of lunar soil from the Sea of Fertility arrive in the Soviet Union.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 16](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_16)
- **Nov 17, 1970** · Robotic explorers · **Lunokhod 1: the first rover**: A remote-controlled eight-wheeled rover, driven from Earth, explores the Moon for about ten months.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Lunokhod 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunokhod_1)
- **Apr 19, 1971** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Salyut 1: the first space station**: Having lost the Moon race, the Soviet Union turns to long-duration space stations. The Soyuz 11 crew who lived aboard die on the way home when their capsule depressurises.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Salyut 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salyut_1); [Wikipedia: Soyuz 11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_11)
- **Jul 17, 1975** · Politics & culture · **Apollo–Soyuz: a handshake in orbit**: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz dock in orbit, and their crews shake hands through the hatch. It is widely seen as the symbolic end of the Space Race.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Apollo–Soyuz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz); [Wikipedia: Space Race](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Race)
- **Aug 18, 1976 – Sep 24, 2026** · Politics & culture · **The return to the Moon**: After Luna 24 in 1976, no spacecraft landed on the Moon for 37 years. Zoom in to follow the robotic return led by China, India, Japan and private companies, and NASA's Artemis program. As of September 24, 2026.
  Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 24](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_24); [Wikipedia: Artemis program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program)
  - **Aug 18, 1976, 06:36** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Luna 24: the last landing for 37 years**: The Soviet probe lands in the Sea of Crises and returns 170.1 grams of soil to Siberia four days later. No other spacecraft soft-lands on the Moon until 2013.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 24](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_24)
  - **Dec 14, 2013, 13:11** · Robotic explorers · **Chang'e 3: China lands on the Moon**: The first soft landing on the Moon since Luna 24 in 1976 makes China the third country to land there. The lander touches down in Mare Imbrium and releases the Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") rover.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Chang'e 3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_3)
  - **Dec 11, 2017 – Sep 24, 2026** · United States · **Artemis program**: NASA's program to return astronauts to the Moon, set in motion by Space Policy Directive 1, which President Trump signed on December 11, 2017. Zoom in to see its flights so far.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Artemis program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program); [Wikipedia: Space Policy Directive 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Policy_Directive_1)
    - **May 13, 2019** · United States · **The program is named Artemis**: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announces the name of the new lunar program. In Greek mythology, Artemis is Apollo's twin sister.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Artemis program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program)
    - **Nov 16, 2022, 06:47 – Dec 11, 2022, 17:40** · United States · **Artemis I: Orion flies around the Moon uncrewed**: The first launch of the Space Launch System sends an empty Orion capsule around the Moon. It passes about 130 km above the surface and reaches 268,563 miles from Earth before splashing down off Baja California after 25 days.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Artemis I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_I)
    - **Apr 1, 2026, 22:35 – Apr 11, 2026, 00:07** · United States · **Artemis II: astronauts fly around the Moon**: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada's Jeremy Hansen become the first people to travel to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Zoom in to follow the ten-day flight.
      Sources: [Wikipedia: Artemis II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II); [NASA: NASA Welcomes Record-Setting Artemis II Moonfarers Back to Earth](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-record-setting-artemis-ii-moonfarers-back-to-earth/)
      - **Apr 1, 2026, 22:35** · United States · **Artemis II launches**: The Space Launch System lifts Orion off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT, the first crewed launch toward the Moon in more than 53 years.
        Sources: [NASA: NASA Welcomes Record-Setting Artemis II Moonfarers Back to Earth](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-record-setting-artemis-ii-moonfarers-back-to-earth/); [Wikipedia: Artemis II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II)
      - **Apr 2, 2026, 23:49** · United States · **Translunar injection: leaving Earth orbit**: Orion's main engine fires for five minutes and 50 seconds starting at 7:49 p.m. EDT, sending the crew out of Earth orbit on a path around the Moon.
        Sources: [NASA: Artemis II Flight Day 2: Orion Completes TLI Burn, Crew Begins Journey to the Moon](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/02/artemis-ii-flight-day-2-orion-completes-tli-burn-crew-begins-journey-to-the-moon/)
      - **Apr 6, 2026, 23:00** · United States · **Closest approach to the Moon**: During a planned 40-minute loss of signal behind the Moon, Orion passes about 4,067 miles above the surface at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The crew photographs the far side and watches Earth set and rise.
        Sources: [NASA: Artemis II Flight Day 6: Crew Wraps Historic Lunar Flyby](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-flight-day-6-crew-wraps-historic-lunar-flyby/)
      - **Apr 6, 2026, 23:02** · United States · **Farthest humans have ever traveled**: Two minutes after closest approach the crew reaches 252,756 miles from Earth. They had passed Apollo 13's 1970 record of 248,655 miles earlier that day, at 12:56 p.m. CDT.
        Sources: [NASA: Artemis II Flight Day 6: Crew Wraps Historic Lunar Flyby](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-flight-day-6-crew-wraps-historic-lunar-flyby/); [NASA: Artemis II Crew Eclipses Record for Farthest Human Spaceflight](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-artemis-ii-crew-eclipses-record-for-farthest-human-spaceflight)
      - **Apr 11, 2026, 00:07** · United States · **Splashdown off San Diego**: Orion, which the crew named Integrity, splashes down in the Pacific at 5:07 p.m. PDT on April 10 (00:07 UTC on April 11). The crew flew 695,081 miles in total.
        Sources: [NASA: NASA Welcomes Record-Setting Artemis II Moonfarers Back to Earth](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-record-setting-artemis-ii-moonfarers-back-to-earth/); [Wikipedia: Artemis II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II)
    - **Jun 9, 2026** · United States · **NASA names the Artemis III crew**: NASA says Artemis III will be a test flight in Earth orbit in 2027, docking Orion with test versions of commercial landers. Artemis IV is planned as the first crewed landing near the lunar south pole, in 2028.
      Sources: [NASA: NASA Marches Toward Artemis III Mission in 2027, Names Crew Members](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-marches-toward-artemis-iii-mission-in-2027-names-crew-members/); [Wikipedia: Artemis program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program)
  - **Jan 3, 2019, 02:26** · Robotic explorers · **Chang'e 4: first landing on the far side**: China lands the first spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, in Von Kármán crater. Because the far side never faces Earth, its signals are relayed through the Queqiao satellite. The Yutu-2 rover drives off the lander.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Chang'e 4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_4)
  - **Oct 13, 2020** · Politics & culture · **Artemis Accords signed**: Eight countries sign a non-binding set of principles for exploring the Moon and beyond. By September 24, 2026, Côte d'Ivoire had become the 75th signatory.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Artemis Accords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_Accords); [NASA: Artemis Accords](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/)
  - **Nov 23, 2020, 20:30 – Dec 16, 2020** · Robotic explorers · **Chang'e 5 brings back Moon samples**: The first lunar sample return since 1976. A lander scoops 1,731 grams from Oceanus Procellarum, and its capsule lands in Inner Mongolia on December 16. China becomes the third country to return lunar samples.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Chang'e 5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_5)
  - **Aug 19, 2023, 11:57** · Soviet Union and Russia · **Luna 25 crashes**: Russia's first Moon mission since 1976 was aiming to be the first to land near the south pole. Roscosmos said an engine ran for 127 seconds instead of 84, and the probe hit the Moon four days before Chandrayaan-3 landed.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Luna 25](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_25)
  - **Aug 23, 2023, 12:33** · Robotic explorers · **Chandrayaan-3 lands near the south pole**: India's Vikram lander touches down at about 69°S, the first soft landing near the lunar south pole. India becomes the fourth country to land on the Moon, and the Pragyan rover rolls out.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Chandrayaan-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-3)
  - **Jan 19, 2024, 15:20** · Robotic explorers · **SLIM: Japan's pinpoint landing**: JAXA's lander touches down within its 100-meter target near Shioli crater, making Japan the fifth country to land on the Moon. It comes to rest with its solar panels facing away from the Sun, yet survives four lunar nights.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Smart Lander for Investigating Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Lander_for_Investigating_Moon)
  - **Feb 22, 2024, 23:23** · Robotic explorers · **Odysseus: the first commercial landing**: Intuitive Machines' IM-1 lands near Malapert A crater, the first soft landing by a private company and the first American one since Apollo 17 in 1972. The lander breaks a leg and comes to rest tilted.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: IM-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IM-1)
  - **May 3, 2024, 09:27 – Jun 25, 2024, 06:07** · Robotic explorers · **Chang'e 6: samples from the far side**: China's lander collects 1,935.3 grams from the Apollo Basin on the far side, and the capsule lands in Inner Mongolia on June 25. They are the first samples ever returned from the Moon's far side.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Chang'e 6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_6)
  - **Mar 2, 2025, 08:34** · Robotic explorers · **Blue Ghost lands upright**: Firefly Aerospace's lander touches down in Mare Crisium, the first fully successful commercial Moon landing. It works through a total solar eclipse and falls silent on March 16, about five hours after lunar sunset.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Blue Ghost Mission 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ghost_Mission_1)
  - **Mar 6, 2025, 17:28** · Robotic explorers · **Athena lands on its side**: Intuitive Machines' second lander reaches Mons Mouton near the south pole but ends up sideways in a shadowed crater. With too little solar power, it stops working less than 13 hours after landing.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: IM-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IM-2)
  - **Jun 5, 2025, 19:17** · Robotic explorers · **ispace's Resilience crashes**: The Japanese company's second lander loses contact about 90 seconds before touchdown in Mare Frigoris. ispace later traced the hard landing to its laser range finder.
    Sources: [Wikipedia: Hakuto-R Mission 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuto-R_Mission_2)

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