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DAYS
Since humanity first walked on the Moon
July 20, 1969
EXPLORE THE JOURNEY
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Footprints on the Moon
From First Contact to a Lasting Presence
1959
Luna 2 — First Contact
The Soviet Union's Luna 2 became the first human-made object to reach the Moon, impacting its surface and proving that the journey between worlds was possible.
1966
Luna 9 — A Gentle Touch
Luna 9 achieved the first soft landing on the Moon, transmitting the first photographs from another world's surface back to an awestruck Earth.
1968
Apollo 8 — Earthrise
For the first time, humans left Earth's orbit and witnessed the Moon up close. On Christmas Eve, the crew read from Genesis as they orbited the Moon — and captured the iconic "Earthrise" photograph.
1969
Apollo 11 — One Small Step
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon, fulfilling humanity's oldest dream: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
1970
Apollo 13 — A Successful Failure
"Houston, we've had a problem." An oxygen tank exploded en route to the Moon, turning a lunar landing into a desperate fight for survival. The crew returned safely — a triumph of ingenuity.
1970
Lunokhod 1 — The First Lunar Rover
The Soviet Lunokhod 1 became the first robotic rover to traverse the lunar surface, exploring the Moon for nearly a year and paving the way for future robotic explorers.
1972
Apollo 17 — The Last Farewell
Eugene Cernan became the last human to walk on the Moon. As he left the lunar surface, he said: "We leave as we came — and, God willing, we shall return."
1994
Clementine — Mapping the Unknown
NASA's Clementine mission mapped the entire lunar surface and discovered the first evidence of water ice hiding in permanently shadowed craters near the south pole.
2009
LCROSS — Water on the Moon
The LCROSS mission deliberately crashed into the lunar south pole, confirming significant deposits of water ice — a discovery that could sustain future human settlements.
2013
Chang'e 3 & Yutu — The Jade Rabbit
China's Chang'e 3 achieved the first lunar soft landing in 37 years. Its rover Yutu — the Jade Rabbit — explored the Moon's surface, marking China's arrival as a lunar power.
2019
Chang'e 4 — The Far Side
For the first time in history, a spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon — the hemisphere that never faces Earth — a frontier no one had ever touched.
2020
Chang'e 5 — Bringing the Moon Home
China's Chang'e 5 returned 1.73 kg of lunar samples to Earth — the first Moon sample return in 44 years, reopening a window into the Moon's geological history.
2023
Chandrayaan-3 — India Reaches the Moon
India's Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the lunar south pole, making India the fourth nation to soft-land on the Moon and the first to reach the south polar region.
2024
Chang'e 6 — Treasures from the Far Side
China's Chang'e 6 accomplished the world's first sample return from the far side of the Moon, bringing back ancient lunar material that may unlock secrets of the solar system's early history.
2024
SLIM — The Moon Sniper
Japan's SLIM lander achieved a pinpoint lunar landing with just 55 meters of error — earning it the nickname "Moon Sniper" and making Japan the fifth nation to soft-land on the Moon.
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2025
Artemis — Return to the Moon
NASA's Artemis program aims to land the first woman and next man on the Moon, establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface for the first time in over fifty years.
The Moon awaits...