After the Moon Landing Timeline | SpaceNext50

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url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/5-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>After the Moon Landing Timeline</h3> <p>What happened after the Moon landing and after Apollo 11? What steps did the world take?</p> <span>View the Timeline</span> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="megamenu-panel" id="megamenu-2"> <div class="container"> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Architect of Chinese space program</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/qian-xuesen/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/qian-xuesen-hero-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Qian Xuesen</h3> <p>Qian Xuesen was a Chinese engineer and research scientist widely recognized as the “father of Chinese aerospace” for his role in establishing China’s ballistic missile program.</p> <span>Discover this engineer pioneer</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Paving the way for women</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/valentina-tereshkova/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/3000x1170-Space-Quiz-Heros-5-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Valentina Tereshkova</h3> <p>Valentina Tereshkova, Soviet cosmonaut, was the first woman to travel into space.</p> <span>Read about the first </span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>First Chinese in Space</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/yang-liwei/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/09/liwei-hero2-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Yang Liwei</h3> <p>Yang Liwei is a Chinese astronaut and the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program.</p> <span>Read more about the first from China</span> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="megamenu-panel" id="megamenu-3"> <div class="container"> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Extraordinary Leaps </h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/spacex/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/spacex-hero-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>SpaceX</h3> <p>SpaceX is an American aerospace company founded in 2002 that helped usher in the era of commercial spaceflight.</p> <span>Learn more</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>What is Space Tourism</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/space-tourism/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/space-tourism-hero-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Space Tourism</h3> <p>Space tourism is recreational space travel, either on established government-owned vehicles or on a growing number of vehicles fielded by private companies. </p> <span>Would you go into space</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>What it means to send a signal</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/satellite-telecommunications/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/3000x1170-Space-Quiz-Heros-14-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Satellite Telecommunications</h3> <p>Engineers developed a design for a satellite that would operate in geostationary orbit. </p> <span>Read about its origin</span> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="megamenu-panel" id="megamenu-4"> <div class="container"> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Space Exploration</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/space-exploration-quiz/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/space-exploration-quiz-hero-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Space Exploration Quiz</h3> <p>Was Australia the last continent to be discovered? Who was the first human to orbit Earth? From treks through the South Pole to launches into space, test your knowledge of human exploration in this quiz.</p> <span>Take Your Best Shot</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Moon Vs Asteroid</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/moon-vs-asteroid-quiz/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/moon-v-asteroid-quiz-hero-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>This or That? Moon vs. Asteroid</h3> <p>So you’ve got the planets down pat—let’s see if you know your moons. Are these astronomical bodies moons or asteroids?</p> <span>What do you know?</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Small Step, Giant Leap</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/small-step-giant-leap-fact-or-fiction/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/small-step-quiz-hero-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Small Step, Giant Leap: Fact or Fiction?</h3> <p>Is the Moon the only object in the solar system to have craters? Take a "giant leap"—or a "small step"—and learn more about the Moon in this quiz.</p> <span>Test your knowledge</span> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="megamenu-panel" id="megamenu-5"> <div class="container"> <div class="mega-column mega-info"> <h4> Did you know?</h4> <div class="megamenu-ghost"> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <p>An estimated 650 Million people watched Armstrong’s televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took “…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1078 size-thumbnail" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/moon-landing-hero-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/moon-landing-hero-150x150.jpg 150w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/moon-landing-hero-300x300.jpg 300w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/moon-landing-hero-600x600.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Watch The New Space Race</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/video-spacerace/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/08/spacerace-hero-1-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Video-SpaceRace</h3> <p>From India to China, the space race is expanding. Take a few minutes to explore videos from around the globe. </p> <span>Watch on</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="mega-column mega-feature"> <h4>Watch Moon Landing History</h4> <a href="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/video-moonlanding/" class="megamenu-feature"> <div class="megamenu-thumb" style="background-image: url('https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/07/0000138702-300x300.jpg');"></div> <div class="megamenu-excerpt"> <h3>Video-Moonlanding</h3> <p>Watch history unfold. This page highlights stories told in video from Apollo 11 Liftoff to faking the moon landing.</p> <span>Watch on</span> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main class="main"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="content col-12"> <div class="wp-block-ugb-container alignfull ugb-container ugb--background-opacity-3 ugb--has-background ugb--has-background-image ugb-container--height-tall ugb-container--align-horizontal-center" style="background-color:#000000;background-image:url(https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/4-1.jpg)"><div class="ugb-container__wrapper"><div class="ugb-container__content-wrapper"> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide"><img width="3000" height="1170" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/3-7.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3420" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/3-7.png 3000w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/3-7-768x300.png 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/3-7-1024x399.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /></figure> </div></div></div> <div style="height:69px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <div class="ad-unit ad-leaderboard acf/ad-billboard" id="adunit-block_5d0797860a15c"> <div class="ad-wrapper">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1559241287923-0' style='height:90px; width:728px;' class="none block-l"> <script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1559241287923-0'); });</script> </div> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1559241366102-0' style='height:50px; width:320px;' class="block none-l"> <script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1559241366102-0'); });</script> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-3 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-1 wp-block-column"> <h4>1969</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">November: Apollo 12 made the first precision landing on the Moon. The lunar module Intrepid landed near the robotic probe Surveyor 3, which had landed two years earlier.</h3> <div class="wp-block-ugb-button ugb-button-wrapper ugb-button--align-left"><div><a class="ugb-button ugb-button--align-left ugb-button--size-normal" href=""><span class="ugb-button--inner">Read about Apollo 12</span></a></div></div> <p></p> </div> <div class="wp-container-2 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="856" height="1024" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1969_0000125693-856x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3467" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1969_0000125693-856x1024.jpg 856w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1969_0000125693-768x919.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 856px) 100vw, 856px" /><figcaption>The crew of the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission: (left to right) Charles (“Pete”) Conrad, Jr.; Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; and Alan L. Bean. <br><em>Credit: NASA Great Images in NASA Collection </em></figcaption></figure> <p></p> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-6 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-4 wp-block-column"> <h4>1970</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">An oxygen tank explosion on Apollo 13 endangered the lives of three astronauts. The explosion forced the astronauts to use their lunar module as a lifeboat to survive.</h3> </div> <div class="wp-container-5 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="660" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000144578-1024x660.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-756" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000144578-1024x660.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000144578-768x495.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Astronaut John L. Swigert Jr., is lifted aboard a helicopter from the Apollo 13 command module after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, 1970. Astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr., awaits his turn. (Fred W. Haise, Jr., was already lifted to the helicopter.) <br><em>Credit: JSC/NASA </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-9 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-7 wp-block-column"> <h4>1971</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">February: Apollo 14 marked the first lunar mission since the Apollo 13 explosion. Alan Shepard became the only person to hit a golf ball on the Moon.</h3> </div> <div class="wp-container-8 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="671" height="1024" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000127383-671x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-548" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000127383-671x1024.jpg 671w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000127383-768x1173.jpg 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000127383.jpg 1965w" sizes="(max-width: 671px) 100vw, 671px" /><figcaption>Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell lifted off at 4:03 p.m. EST January 31, 1971, from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.<br><em>Credit: Johnson Space Center/NASA </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-12 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-10 wp-block-column"> <h4>1971</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">July–August: Apollo 15 was the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Astronauts David Scott and Jim Irwin used it to drive nearly 28 km (17 miles).</h3> </div> <div class="wp-container-11 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="755" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000000413-1024x755.jpg" alt="James Irwin in a lunar rover" class="wp-image-434" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000000413-1024x755.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000000413-768x566.jpg 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000000413.jpg 1111w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin standing in back of the Lunar Roving Vehicle; the Lunar Module (LM) is at left with the modular equipment storage assembly (MESA) in front of it. Apollo 15 was launched July 26, 1971. <br><em>Credit: NASA </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-15 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-13 wp-block-column"> <h4>1972</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">April: Apollo 16 landed in the Descartes highlands of the Moon. Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spent nearly 3 days on the lunar surface.</h3> </div> <div class="wp-container-14 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1004" height="1024" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000134679-1004x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4114" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000134679-1004x1024.jpg 1004w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000134679-768x784.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1004px) 100vw, 1004px" /><figcaption>Charles M. Duke, Jr., lunar module pilot of the Apollo 16 mission, collecting lunar samples at the rim of Plum crater, April 21, 1972. <br><em>Credit: NASA</em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-18 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-16 wp-block-column"> <h4>1972</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">Apollo 17 made the last crewed landing of the Apollo program. Astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the last humans to set foot on the Moon.</h3> <div class="wp-block-ugb-button ugb-button-wrapper ugb-button--align-left"><div><a class="ugb-button ugb-button--align-left ugb-button--size-normal" href=""><span class="ugb-button--inner">Read about Apollo 17</span></a></div></div> </div> <div class="wp-container-17 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="951" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1972_21492224000-1024x951.jpg" alt="apollo 17" class="wp-image-3468" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1972_21492224000-1024x951.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1972_21492224000-768x713.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Apollo 17 astronaut. <br><em>Credit: NASA/ Project Apollo Archive </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-21 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-19 wp-block-column"> <h4>1976</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">August: Luna 24 returned the last sample from the Moon (to date). </h3> <p>The Soviet probe returned with lunar soil samples taken from a depth of seven feet (about two metres) below the surface.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-20 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="766" height="1024" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1976_3828312a-766x1024.jpg" alt="luna 24" class="wp-image-3469" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1976_3828312a-766x1024.jpg 766w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/1976_3828312a-768x1027.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" /><figcaption>The ampule containing lunar soil and rock delivered by the re-entry module of the Soviet lunar lander Luna 24. It has been opened at the receiving laboratory of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, 1976. <br><em>Credit: Sovfoto/Universal Images Group/Shutterstock </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-24 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-22 wp-block-column"> <h4>1994</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">NASA’s Clementine mission conducted multispectral mapping of the Moon.</h3> <p><strong><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Clementine-spacecraft">Clementine </a></strong>was a robotic U.S. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/spacecraft">spacecraft</a> that orbited and observed all regions of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Moon">Moon</a> over a two-month period in 1994 for purposes of scientific research and in-space testing of equipment developed primarily for national defense. </p> </div> <div class="wp-container-23 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="590" height="280" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/0000076834.jpg" alt="Global distribution of iron on the Moon's surface" class="wp-image-581" /><figcaption>Global distribution of iron on the Moon’s surface, based on multispectral data collected in 1994 by the U.S. Clementine spacecraft from lunar orbit. Iron content of the soil is color-coded according to the key at the left. The maps reveal the striking difference in surface composition between near-side and far-side hemispheres. <br><em>Credit: NASA/Lunar Planetary Institute</em></figcaption></figure> <p></p> </div> </div> <div class="ad-unit ad-leaderboard acf/ad-billboard" id="adunit-block_5d0797900a15e"> <div class="ad-wrapper">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1559241312580-0' style='height:90px; width:728px;' class="none block-l"> <script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1559241312580-0'); });</script> </div> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1559336116002-0' style='height:50px; width:320px;' class="block none-l"> <script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1559336116002-0'); });</script> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-27 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-25 wp-block-column"> <h4>1998</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">NASA’s Lunar Prospector mission launched.</h3> <p>Lunar Prospector studied the chemistry of the Moon’s surface.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-26 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="807" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000066710-1024x807.jpg" alt="Lunar Prospector spacecraft" class="wp-image-3506" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000066710-1024x807.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000066710-768x605.jpg 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/0000066710.jpg 2037w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Computer artwork of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft near the Moon. <br><em>Credit: NASA/JPL </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-30 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-28 wp-block-column"> <h4>1998</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">Japanese Selene (Kaguya) spacecraft launched.</h3> <p>Kaguya returned stunning images of the Moon taken with its high-definition camera.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-29 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="735" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000148442-1024x735.jpg" alt="Selene spacecraft in orbit around the Moon." class="wp-image-3472" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000148442-1024x735.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000148442-768x551.jpg 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000148442.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Artist’s conception of the Kaguya mission’s Selene spacecraft in orbit around the Moon. <em>Credit: JAXA </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-33 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-31 wp-block-column"> <h4>2007</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">Chinese Chang’e 1 lunar orbiter launched.</h3> <p>Chang’e 1 was the first in a series of lunar probes launched by the China National Space Administration. The satellites were named for a goddess who, according to Chinese legend, flew from Earth to the Moon.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-32 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="623" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000146589-1024x623.jpg" alt="Chang'e 1" class="wp-image-3471" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000146589-1024x623.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000146589-768x467.jpg 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2007_0000146589.jpg 1369w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Artist’s rendering of the Chang’e 1 spacecraft. <br><em>Credit: National Space Science Data Center/NASA</em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-36 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-34 wp-block-column"> <h4>2008</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">Indian Chandrayaan-1 Moon orbiter launched.</h3> <p>Chandrayaan-1 found small amounts of water on the Moon and was the first Indian spacecraft to travel beyond Earth orbit.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-35 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2008_0000126092-1024x576.jpg" alt="Chandrayaan-1" class="wp-image-3473" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2008_0000126092-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2008_0000126092-768x432.jpg 768w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2008_0000126092.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Artist’s conception of the Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe. <br><em>Credit: Doug Ellison</em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-39 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-37 wp-block-column"> <h4>2009</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched</h3> <p>The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) began mapping the surface of the Moon. The same rocket that carried LRO carried the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) experiment that was crashed into the Moon to find subsurface water.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-38 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2009_0000135975-1024x576.jpg" alt="Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter," class="wp-image-3474" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2009_0000135975-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/2009_0000135975-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Artist’s rendering of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.<br><em>Credit: NASA</em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-42 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-40 wp-block-column"> <h4>2011</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">Launch of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) probes. </h3> <p>The GRAIL mission consisted of two spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, that mapped the Moon’s gravitational field. The probes discovered that the Moon had expanded slightly early in its history.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-41 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="960" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/PIA12010_orig-1024x960.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4115" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/PIA12010_orig-1024x960.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/06/PIA12010_orig-768x720.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>The GRAIL mission utilized the technique of twin spacecraft flying in formation with a known altitude above the lunar surface and known separation distance to investigate the gravity field of the Moon. <br><em>Credit: NASA/JPL </em></figcaption></figure> </div> </div> <div class="wp-container-45 wp-block-columns has-2-columns timeblock"> <div class="wp-container-43 wp-block-column"> <h4>2018</h4> <h3 id="mce_2">Chang’e 4 became the first probe to land on the farside of the Moon. </h3> <p>Chang’e 4 carried a small rover, Yutu-2, which explored the surface in Von Karman crater.</p> </div> <div class="wp-container-44 wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="846" src="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/07/0000092879-1024x846.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4888" srcset="https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/07/0000092879-1024x846.jpg 1024w, https://explore.britannica.com/explore/space/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/07/0000092879-768x634.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption><em>Credit: NASA</em></figcaption></figure> <p></p> </div> </div> <div class="ad-unit ad-leaderboard acf/ad-billboard" id="adunit-block_5d07978d0a15d"> <div class="ad-wrapper">  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1559241337416-0' style='height:90px; 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