Apollo 8 carried the first humans to orbit the Moon and return safely to Earth.
The mission launched in December 1968 with Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders. Its crew traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them, entered lunar orbit, and completed ten circuits around the Moon.
Apollo 8 was a major test of the Saturn V rocket, the Apollo command module and the navigation procedures required for lunar flight. Its success gave NASA confidence to attempt a crewed landing the following year.
Apollo 8 did not land astronauts on the Moon; that achievement belonged to Apollo 11. Apollo 10 later rehearsed the landing approach, while Apollo 7 tested the command and service module in Earth orbit. These missions formed a carefully staged progression toward the first landing.