How many people have walked on the Moon?
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, all American astronauts on six NASA Apollo missions between July 1969 and December 1972.
The moonwalkers were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, Pete Conrad and Alan Bean on Apollo 12, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell on Apollo 14, David Scott and James Irwin on Apollo 15, John Young and Charles Duke on Apollo 16, and Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt on Apollo 17.
Apollo 13 was also meant to land, but an explosion forced the crew to return to Earth. Eugene Cernan was the last person to walk on the Moon, in December 1972. Harrison Schmitt, a geologist, was the only professional scientist to walk on the lunar surface.
Going back
No one has walked on the Moon since 1972. NASA's Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the surface. In April 2026, Artemis II carried four astronauts around the Moon and back, the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, preparing the way for future landings.
Did You Know?
Alan Shepard, the first American in space, hit golf balls on the Moon during Apollo 14 using a club head attached to a sample tool.