Reaching the Moon

When these happened

50 dated records from 1959 to 2025. Each is drawn as wide as its date is certain — a band is a band because nobody knows the year, not because the drawing is imprecise.

50 shown · 50 dated · 0 cannot be placed on an axis · Approximate or contested. Draw a band and do not sharpen its edges.

In order50

1959-01-04Luna 1 passes the Moon
It happened, and the record is settled.
1959-09-14Luna 2 reaches the surface
It happened, and the record is settled.
1959-10-07Luna 3 passes the Moon
It happened, and the record is settled.
1964-07-31Ranger 7 reaches the surface
It happened, and the record is settled.
1965-02-20Ranger 8 reaches the surface
It happened, and the record is settled.
1965-03-24Ranger 9 reaches the surface
It happened, and the record is settled.
1966-02-03Luna 9 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1966-04-03Luna 10 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
1966-06-02Surveyor 1 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1966-08-14Lunar Orbiter 1 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
1966-12-24Luna 13 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1967-04-20Surveyor 3 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1967-09-11Surveyor 5 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1967-11-10Surveyor 6 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1968-01-10Surveyor 7 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1968-09-18Zond 5 passes the Moon
It happened, and the record is settled.
1969-11-19Apollo 12 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1970-09-20Luna 16 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1970-11-17Luna 17 · Lunokhod 1 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1971-02-05Apollo 14 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1971-07-30Apollo 15 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1972-02-21Luna 20 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1972-04-21Apollo 16 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1973-01-15Luna 21 · Lunokhod 2 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1976-08-18Luna 24 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1990-03-19Hiten lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
1994-02-19Clementine enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
1998-01-11Lunar Prospector enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2004-11-15SMART-1 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2007-10-04Kaguya (SELENE) enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2007-11-05Chang’e 1 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2008-11-08Chandrayaan-1 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2009-06-23Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2010-10-06Chang’e 2 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2012-01-01GRAIL (Ebb and Flow) enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2013-10-06LADEE enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2013-12-14Chang’e 3 · Yutu lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2019-01-03Chang’e 4 · Yutu-2 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2019-04-11Beresheet lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2019-08-20Chandrayaan-2 enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2020-12-01Chang’e 5 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2022-11-13CAPSTONE lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2022-12-16Danuri (KPLO) enters lunar orbit
It happened, and the record is settled.
2023-04-25Hakuto-R Mission 1 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2023-08-23Chandrayaan-3 · Vikram and Pragyan lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2024-01-19SLIM lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2024-02-22IM-1 Odysseus lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2024-06-01Chang’e 6 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2025-03-02Blue Ghost Mission 1 lands
It happened, and the record is settled.
2025-03-06IM-2 Athena lands
It happened, and the record is settled.