NASA’s Apollo 12 performed the first precision landing on the Moon in 1969.
Apollo 12 launched on November 14, 1969, carrying astronauts Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean. The lunar module Intrepid landed in the Ocean of Storms on November 19, close to the intended site near the earlier Surveyor 3 spacecraft.
The landing demonstrated that crews could reach carefully selected locations rather than simply aiming for a broad safe area. Conrad and Bean visited Surveyor 3, photographed it, and removed components for examination on Earth. They also deployed scientific instruments, collected lunar samples, and traveled on foot across the surface.
Apollo 11 had achieved the first crewed lunar landing four months earlier, but its landing point was chosen partly to avoid hazards. Apollo 12’s accurate touchdown gave later Apollo crews greater confidence in reaching scientifically valuable terrain.