What was the first crewed mission of NASA's Apollo program?

Apollo 7 was the first crewed mission of NASA's Apollo program.

Launched on October 11, 1968, Apollo 7 tested the redesigned Apollo command and service modules in Earth orbit. Walter Schirra commanded the mission, with Donn Eisele as command-module pilot and Walter Cunningham as lunar-module pilot. No lunar module flew on Apollo 7.

The mission lasted 10 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes, and 3 seconds. Its crew tested engine burns, rendezvous procedures, navigation, communications, and the spacecraft's ability to support people for an extended flight. The mission was especially important after the Apollo 1 cabin fire had halted crewed Apollo flights.

Apollo 7 is sometimes overlooked because Apollo 8 followed only a few months later and reached the Moon. However, Apollo 7 was the first crewed flight to use the Apollo spacecraft and demonstrated that the program could safely resume crewed operations.