Saturn V launched Apollo 11, the first crewed mission to land humans on the Moon.
The launch took place on 16 July 1969 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 111-meter-tall Saturn V was a three-stage heavy-lift rocket developed for NASA’s Apollo lunar program. Its enormous first stage used five F-1 engines burning kerosene and liquid oxygen.
Saturn V placed Apollo 11 on a trajectory toward the Moon, after which the spacecraft’s own propulsion system handled the journey and lunar-orbit operations. The rocket is often confused with Saturn IB, which launched some earlier Apollo missions but was not powerful enough for a lunar landing mission.
Apollo 11’s crew—Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins—reached lunar orbit four days after launch. Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the lunar module Eagle on 20 July 1969.