How Many People Have Walked On The Moon?
QUICK ANSWER
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, all American astronauts during the Apollo program between 1969 and 1972. The first was Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969. The last was Eugene Cernan, who walked on the Moon during Apollo 17 in December 1972. No human has walked on the lunar surface in over 50 years.
Twelve people have walked on the surface of the Moon, all of them American men who flew during NASA's Apollo program between 1969 and 1972. Six successful lunar landings each delivered two astronauts to the surface. No human has walked on the Moon since December 1972, though NASA's Artemis program plans to change that by 2028.
Who were the 12 moonwalkers?
In order of landing: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11, July 1969); Pete Conrad and Alan Bean (Apollo 12, November 1969); Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14, February 1971); David Scott and James Irwin (Apollo 15, July 1971); John Young and Charles Duke (Apollo 16, April 1972); and Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17, December 1972). According to NASA, each Apollo mission landed two astronauts while a third remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module.
How many Apollo missions landed on the Moon?
Six. The Apollo program included nine crewed missions that went to the Moon (Apollo 8 and 10 orbited without landing; Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 landed). Apollo 13 famously aborted its landing after an oxygen tank explosion en route, but the crew safely returned to Earth using the Lunar Module as a lifeboat. Apollo 11 was the first landing, and Apollo 17 was the last. The program ended in 1972 due to declining public interest and budget cuts. Apollo 18, 19, and 20 had been planned but were cancelled.
Why hasn't anyone walked on the Moon since 1972?
Mostly money and political will. The Apollo program was extraordinarily expensive (costing more than $25 billion in 1960s dollars, equivalent to hundreds of billions today) and was driven largely by Cold War competition with the Soviet Union. Once the U.S. won the race to the Moon, public and political support for continued lunar exploration faded. NASA's budget shifted toward Earth orbit and other priorities.
When will humans walk on the Moon again?
Currently planned for 2028, with the Artemis IV mission. NASA's Artemis program completed a crewed lunar flyby in April 2026 (Artemis II), which carried four astronauts around the Moon and back without landing. Artemis III was revised to a low Earth orbit mission. Artemis IV is currently scheduled for early 2028 and will be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. The mission will target a landing site near the lunar south pole, where water ice and nearly continuous sunlight make conditions more favorable for a permanent base.
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, all during the Apollo program between 1969 and 1972. No human has been on the lunar surface in over 50 years. NASA's Artemis program is working to change that, with the first new lunar landing planned for Artemis IV in 2028. The next moonwalker will be only the 13th human to ever set foot on another world, more than half a century after the 12th.
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