NASA's final Apollo moon landing mission in pictures - Space
On Dec. 7, 1972, NASA launched its last Apollo mission to the moon: Apollo 17. See photos from the historic mission here.
www.space.comI don’t have live tool access right now to pull the very latest headlines, but I can summarize the current landscape and point you to likely sources.
Direct answer
- The last Apollo mission was Apollo 17 in December 1972. Since then, no human has walked on the Moon, though there have been many subsequent robotic and commercial lunar efforts. For the most up-to-date news on Moon missions, look for coverage of Artemis program milestones, commercial lunar landers, and NASA’s Moon to Mars campaign.
Key context and where to check
- Apollo program history: Apollo 17 remains the final crewed Moon landing, with Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt (and Ron Evans in orbit) active in 1972. This is widely documented in NASA histories and Space publications. For a concise recap, sources like Space.com and NASA mission archives provide timelines and mission details.
- Example background: Apollo 17 launched in December 1972; it was the last Apollo mission and featured the mission’s final moon landing by astronauts Cernan and Schmitt. This is covered in Space.com’s Apollo 17 retrospectives [Space.com, Apollo 17 article].
- Post-Apollo Moon activity: Since Apollo, there have been no crewed lunar landings, but robotic missions and commercial lunar landers (e.g., private companies under NASA’s Artemis framework) have conducted Moon flybys, landings, and sample deliveries. For recent developments, check major space news outlets and NASA/ESA/CSA press releases.
- Space industry coverage often highlights private lunar landers like those supported under NASA’s commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) and ongoing Artemis program activities.
- Artemis program: Artemis aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence, with Artemis II as a crewed lunar flyby and Artemis III aiming for a lunar landing (as of recent years). Regular updates come from NASA, major space news sites, and official Artemis channels.
If you’d like, I can:
- Compile a brief annotated timeline of Moon-related missions since 1972, including both crewed and robotic efforts.
- Pull the latest publicly available summaries from NASA and Space.com and present a concise, sourced update. If you want me to do that, tell me which format you prefer (bulleted timeline, short table, or a narrative recap).
Note: Because I don’t have live access in this moment, I can’t fetch the absolute newest headlines to cite them here. If you want guaranteed up-to-the-minute updates with citations, I can run a quick web search and pull recent articles and official statements for you.