Apollo 11 was NASA’s first successful crewed lunar landing mission.
Launched on 16 July 1969, Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the lunar module, while Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module.
The landing occurred on 20 July 1969 in the southwestern region of Mare Tranquillitatis. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon, followed shortly afterward by Aldrin. The astronauts collected rock and soil samples, deployed experiments, and returned safely to Earth on 24 July.
Apollo 11 fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing astronauts on the Moon and returning them safely before the end of the 1960s. Five later Apollo missions also landed astronauts on the lunar surface.