NASA's Apollo 11 made the first crewed landing on the Moon in 1969.
The mission launched from Florida on July 16, 1969, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, while Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module Columbia.
Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface, followed shortly by Aldrin. The astronauts collected rocks, deployed scientific instruments, photographed the terrain, and returned safely to Earth on July 24.
Apollo 11 fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's 1961 goal of landing astronauts on the Moon and returning them safely before the decade ended. Six Apollo missions eventually landed people on the Moon, but Apollo 11 remains the first and is a defining achievement in the United States' space history.