Apollo 20 was the planned Apollo lunar landing mission canceled in January 1970. NASA announced the decision on January 4, redirecting its Saturn V to launch Skylab as a complete orbital workshop.
Apollo 20 was originally expected to be the final crewed lunar landing in the program. Its cancellation reflected both budget pressure and a change in Skylab’s design. NASA had considered launching Skylab as a “wet workshop,” outfitting an emptied Saturn IB upper stage in orbit. Instead, the station was assembled on the ground as a “dry workshop,” requiring a Saturn V launch vehicle.
Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 were not the January 1970 cancellations. Those missions were canceled later, in September 1970, after further budget reductions and program changes. Apollo 17 ultimately became the last crewed lunar landing, in December 1972.
Hardware associated with Apollo 20 was never completed for flight. The mission’s cancellation also reshaped plans for later lunar exploration, leaving several proposed landing sites and advanced missions on paper rather than on the launch schedule.