1969:
* July 20: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon.
1970-71:
* February 24: The Soviet Union begins a series of uncrewed and robotic Lunar landings, including probes like Luna 16, Luna 18 and Luna 20 that can return with lunar soil.
* July 26: The Soviet Union's Luna 24 returns from the moon with 170 grams (6 oz) of lunar rock and soil, a record.
1972-73:
* December 14: As the United States prepares for the final crewed mission, known as Apollo 17, the Soviet Union launches multiple attempts to land humans on the moon in succession.
* December 18: The Soviet spacecraft Zarya-1 ("Dawn-1") enters lunar orbit, carrying three cosmonauts.
* December 21: The Soviet cosmonauts Alexey Leonov, Valeri Kubasov and Pyotr Klimuk land on the moon. They plant the Soviet flag and perform several science experiments.
* December 24: The Apollo 17 mission launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
* December 27: The Apollo 17 mission successfully lands near the Taurus–Littrow valley. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt become the 11th and 12th humans to walk on the moon.
* December 29: The Apollo 17 mission begins to return to Earth while the Zarya-1 remains in lunar orbit.
* December 31: The Apollo 17 crew splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
1973-77:
* The Soviet Union continues its uncrewed and robotic lunar exploration, collecting soil and rock samples, mapping the surface and studying lunar geology and composition.
* The United States does not return to the moon during the 20th century.
2025-Present:
* The United States and Russia work together on a joint mission to return to the moon. The mission includes a crewed landing and the establishment of a lunar base.