10 Countries That Have Been to the Moon

The number of countries that went to the moon is surprisingly few. Of course, there is a difference between going to the moon and landing on the moon. This list includes both but isn’t specific to feet physically walking on the surface. The list is interesting, especially since one of the countries no longer exists, at least not as a state, seat of power, or ideological representation.

If we stick to landing humans on the moon, the list gets significantly smaller, with only one. If we count rovers, flybys, crash landings, and various unmanned trips to the moon, the list expands to 10. We’ll stick with the larger number to accurately list countries that went to the moon.

1. United States

The fifteen-star flag of 1795 fame.

The United States was not the first but was the only country to land an astronaut on the moon. America is the sole owner of this accomplishment, and it’s also riding solo out of all the other countries that went to the moon, with 6 human expeditions on the surface. This was all done in 41 months, including Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Apollo 13 failed to land a human on the moon, and they made a movie out of it.

2. U.S.S.R. (Russia)

Map of the former republics of U.S.S.R.

Though the U.S.S.R no longer exists, it was the first of all the countries that have successfully flown missions to the moon. The Soviet Union and the United States, deeply mired in the Cold War then, were heavily competing over the moon. Much of the competition was about public relations, which drove both countries to fast-track technology. Today, Russia is still interested in the moon, though only a single moon-focused mission failed.

3. Israel

The Israeli flag with the Star of David in the center.

Israel’s first moon accomplishment was a first, in a way. Until then, countries that successfully went to the moon did so via their government’s resources. Beresheet, Israel’s first successful mission to the moon was a private effort and the first attempt to use a private company’s resources rather than the government’s. The mission went awry, however, ultimately losing the craft. Fortunately, it did achieve lunar orbit.

4. China

The Chinese flag with wheat in the foreground. Wheat is one of the most important crops in China (and the world), historically and today.

China is a recent addition to the countries that went to the moon. It began with the Chang’e 1, orbiting the moon in 2007. Where it ends is up in the air. The plan is to construct an onsite “international research” at some point while putting people on the moon in the 2030s. Currently, China is trying to gather and transfer samples from the lunar surface using a lander, ascender, and orbiter.

5. India

The Tiraṅgā, or flag of India, was adopted by the Constituent Assembly in the 1940s.

The Chandrayaan Programme is India’s version of a space program dedicated to lunar exploration. So far, that program includes three separate expeditions to the moon. India is exploring the moon in several ways, including using an ‘impactor,’ which is essentially a craft launched into the surface of the moon, creating impact debris that India studies. India is the first to land a craft on the lunar South Pole of all the countries with missions to the moon.

6. Japan

Map of Japan with major highways throughout the country and focusing on Osaka.

Japan’s first attempt at landing a craft on the moon met with disappointment. A private endeavor, the Hakuto-R successfully entered the moon’s orbit. However, attempting to land was too much for the craft, and it became lunar debris soon after. Fortunately, Japan is not giving up, with plans to send another craft, a SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon), in for a landing attempt on January 19 of 2024.

7. Luxembourg

This is the ensign flag of Luxembourg, including the nation’s coat of arms on a blue and white horizontal field.

Technically, Luxembourg hasn’t sent a mission to the moon. However, the nation is in the middle of a joint conglomeration of nations focusing on the moon and Mars exploration. The Artemis program began with the SLS (Space Launch System) effort in late 2023. In coordination with the United States and Japan, Luxembourg is an integral part of moon missions, manufacturing the rovers, landers, etc., that coordinating countries use and will use to reach the moon.

8. Italy

The national flag of Italy.

Strange that the country from which one of the most famous scientists in history, Galileo, was born, got such a late start in terms of countries heading to the moon. However, public relations is often a deceptive thing, even when deception is not the intent. Italy is a massive contributor to space exploration, with the second most satellites in the sky among the nations of Europe. Italy is effectively the beating heart of the ESA (European Space Agency). As far as the moon is concerned, Italy has accomplished a flyby, with much more to come in the near future.

9. South Korea

Known as the Taegeukgi, the national flag of Italy became official when Italy achieved independence from Japan.

South Korea is not one of the first countries to explore the moon, but it does have a number of programs with moon exploration in mind. The Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, launching from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, began its long orbit around the moon in late 2023. There are currently a number of publicly known plans in the works as well, including future landing sites (scouted by the current orbiting platform), and landing on the moon, along with a potential asteroid landing as well.

10. UAE (United Arab Emirates)

This picture (in the UAE) is the perfect analogy for looking out on the vastness of space and contemplating what’s out there. A fitting vibe for future moon exploration.

The UAE is the first of all Arab countries to reach the moon. The ELM (Emirati Lunar Mission), features the most compact rover in the world, the Rashid. Unfortunately, a second attempt is necessary, as the first Rashid made it to the moon, disappearing soon after. The running assumption is that it crashed at some point, and no one knows where it is. The UAE is coordinating with multiple countries, thanks to building a large space exploration program, with all of the necessary engineering and components, in just a decade.

Additional Info On Countries Heading To The Moon

It’s worth mentioning that a handful of countries on the above list consistently carry the label of ‘failure’, when it comes to moon attempts. However, the list is a compilation of countries that went to the moon. Whether they crashed and burned afterward is irrelevant to the fact that they made it there, a difficult accomplishment in and of itself, especially for countries that lack the immense resources of countries like the U.S. and China.

The ESA often features on several lists of countries that went to the moon. Unfortunately, for this list, the ESA is not an actual country, so they don’t make the cut. On the flip side, the ESA is a conglomeration of 22 countries, all with the same goals in mind. These goals include general space exploration, an emphasis on the moon, and an emphasis on eventual Mars exploration.

Summary Of 10 Countries That Have Been to the Moon

The photo featured at the top of this post is © NASA (image by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) / public domain – License / Original