Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon during the United States Apollo 11 mission.
Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969. Armstrong commanded the mission, with Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin serving as lunar-module pilot and Michael Collins orbiting above the Moon in the command module Columbia.
Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the lunar module Eagle on July 20, 1969. Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface first, followed shortly afterward by Aldrin. They collected samples, photographed the terrain, and deployed scientific instruments during their surface stay.
The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's 1961 goal of landing a crewed spacecraft on the Moon and returning it safely to Earth before the decade ended. Apollo 11 returned to Earth on July 24, 1969, making it a defining achievement of the United States space program.