Apollo 11

Mission Profile

Prime Contractors

Companies that built, launched, or operate this mission. Tickers link to their investor profile.

• BANorth American Aviation (now Boeing)
• NOCGrumman Aircraft (now Northrop Grumman)
• BABoeing (heritage)
• BADouglas Aircraft (now Boeing)

Overview

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's 1961 challenge to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth before the decade was out. Launched on 16 July 1969 from Kennedy Space Center pad 39A on a Saturn V rocket, Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin completed a translunar coast and entered lunar orbit on 19 July. On 20 July 1969 at 20:17 UTC, the Lunar Module Eagle touched down in the Sea of Tranquility with less than 25 seconds of descent fuel remaining following Armstrong's manual flight past the original boulder-strewn landing site. At 02:56 UTC on 21 July Armstrong became the first human to set foot on another world, followed about 20 minutes later by Aldrin. The pair spent 21 hours and 36 minutes on the surface — including 2 hours 31 minutes of EVA — collecting 21.5 kg of lunar samples, deploying the Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package, and planting the American flag. After ascent and rendezvous with Collins in lunar orbit aboard Columbia, the crew returned to Earth on 24 July 1969 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The Apollo 11 samples remain a foundational scientific resource, and the mission's success is the historical reference point for every subsequent crewed lunar mission, including the Artemis program.

Key Milestones

1. 1961-05-25

   Kennedy challenges nation to land on Moon by end of decade

2. 1969-07-16

   Saturn V launch from KSC pad 39A

3. 1969-07-20

   Eagle lands in Sea of Tranquility

4. 1969-07-21

   Armstrong takes 'one giant leap'

5. 1969-07-24

   Splashdown in Pacific; quarantine begins

Related Missions

Sources

1. NASA — Apollo 11
2. NASA — Apollo Program