Which Apollo mission completed the first crewed lunar landing?

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Apollo 11 completed the first crewed lunar landing.

NASA launched Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the lunar module Eagle, while Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module Columbia.

Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon, followed shortly by Aldrin. The astronauts collected rock and soil samples, deployed scientific instruments, and spent more than 21 hours on the surface before rejoining Collins.

Apollo 8 had already carried humans around the Moon, and Apollo 10 rehearsed the landing approach without touching down. Apollo 12 followed as the second successful crewed lunar landing. The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing humans on the Moon and returning them safely before the end of the 1960s.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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