Six Apollo missions successfully landed humans on the Moon: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. These landings took place between July 1969 and December 1972 and placed 12 astronauts on the lunar surface.
Apollo 11 achieved the first landing, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking in the Sea of Tranquility while Michael Collins orbited overhead. Apollo 12 followed later in 1969. The final four successful landings—Apollo 14 through Apollo 17—expanded the program’s scientific work, including longer stays, geological investigations, and use of the lunar rover on the later missions.
The number is often confused with the total number of crewed Apollo missions. Apollo 7 and Apollo 9 tested spacecraft in Earth orbit, while Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 reached lunar orbit without landing. Apollo 13 also traveled to the Moon, but an onboard explosion forced its crew to loop around the Moon and return safely to Earth.
Together, the six landing missions returned hundreds of kilograms of lunar rocks and soil. Apollo 17, commanded by Eugene Cernan, was the last human mission to land on the Moon.