Humans first landed on the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969.
NASA launched Apollo 11 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 July 1969. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the module Eagle, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module Columbia.
The landing occurred on 20 July 1969 in the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface, followed shortly afterward by Aldrin. The astronauts collected rock and soil samples, deployed scientific instruments, photographed the site, and spent about 21 hours and 36 minutes on the surface.
Apollo 11 returned safely to Earth on 24 July 1969. The mission fulfilled a goal announced by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and demonstrated the United States’ ability to conduct crewed lunar operations. Five additional Apollo missions later landed astronauts on the Moon, with Apollo 17 making the final crewed lunar landing in 1972.