Only five nations have successfully achieved controlled soft landings on the Moon since the beginning of lunar exploration in 1966, according to data compiled by Visual Capitalist.
The former Soviet Union became the first country to accomplish the feat on February 3, 1966, followed by the United States on June 2, 1966.
China joined the exclusive group on December 14, 2013, while India achieved its first successful lunar landing on August 23, 2023.
Japan became the fifth nation to complete a soft landing on January 19, 2024.
Although several countries have reached lunar orbit or attempted landings, only a handful have managed controlled touchdowns on the Moon’s surface.
The United States remains the only country to have landed astronauts on the Moon, beginning with the Apollo missions in 1969.
The timeline highlights the technological complexity of lunar exploration and the significant resources required for successful landings, with the achievements spread across nearly six decades of space exploration.
