How many people have walked on the Moon?

A guide to historic Moon walks, and what the future may hold for steps on the lunar surface.

By Russell Deeks

Published: Saturday, 16 September 2023 at 07:33 AM

It’s been over 50 years since humankind first walked on the Moon, but surprisingly there are still only 12 people who have done so.

Though that could be about to change in the next few years with NASA’s Artemis programme.

By far the most famous Moonwalkers are Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who made their historic landing during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission on 21 July 1969.

Apollo 11 astronauts (L-R) Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin

Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon, stepping onto the surface with the immortal words: “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

November that same year saw Apollo 12 crew members Pete Conrad and Alan Bean follow in Armstrong and Aldrin’s footprints

A further 8 Apollo crew members would go on to walk on the lunar surface by December 1972.

But since then… nada.

Artemis and a return to the Moon

04 far side of the moon.jpeg and 04 orion and earth.jpeg Earth and the far side of the Moon Orion space capsule, Artemis 1 mission, 16 and 21 November 2022 Credit: NASA — Earth and the far side of the Moon, as seen during the Artemis 1 mission, 16 and 21 November 2022. Credit: NASA

That will hopefully change soon, though, as NASA’s currently ongoing Artemis missions seek to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time in half a century.

Artemis 1 saw a successful uncrewed orbit of the Moon in November 2022

NASA recently announced the crew for Artemis 2, which will carry out a flyby in 2024.

It that goes well then the plan is for Artemis 3 to conduct a Moon landing in 2025

And for the first time, the crew making the trip won’t all be white men.

Official crew portrait for Artemis II, from left: NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

The Artemis 2 crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

With two of those four – exactly who is still TBC – due to carry out moonwalks during the mission, the chances of the first woman and/or the first person of colour walking on the Moon within the next two years are very good indeed.

The answer to the question as to how many people have walked on the Moon could be about to rack up over the coming years.

The future looks bright for crewed missions to the Moon. But let’s take a look back at the moon-walking trailblazers of the Apollo missions.

Below is our list of how many people have walked on the Moon, and details about their mission.