There were 17 Apollo missions in total, flown between 1967 and 1972. Of those, six landed on the Moon, while the others tested spacecraft, reached lunar orbit, or ended in tragedy.
The Apollo Program at a Glance
The Apollo program was NASA’s effort to land humans on the Moon and bring them back safely, a goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The program used the Saturn V rocket, the Command/Service Module (CSM), and the Lunar Module (LM). Apollo 1 through Apollo 10 were preparation missions; Apollo 11 through Apollo 17 were the lunar landing attempts, with Apollo 13 failing to land but returning its crew safely.
Mission-by-Mission Breakdown
- Apollo 1 (1967): Never launched. A cabin fire during a ground test killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The mission was officially named Apollo 1 after the disaster.
- Apollo 2 through 6 (1967–1968): Uncrewed test flights of the Saturn V rocket and the command module. These missions validated the hardware for crewed flight.
- Apollo 7 (1968): First crewed Apollo mission; orbited Earth to test the command module. Crewed by Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham.
- Apollo 8 (1968): First crewed mission to orbit the Moon. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders flew around the Moon on Christmas Eve and read from Genesis.
- Apollo 9 (1969): Earth-orbit test of the Lunar Module, including a spacewalk between the two spacecraft. Crewed by James McDivitt, David Scott, and Rusty Schweickart.
- Apollo 10 (1969): Lunar orbit rehearsal; the LM descended to about 9 miles (14 km) above the lunar surface but did not land. Crewed by Tom Stafford, John Young, and Gene Cernan.
- Apollo 11 (1969): First Moon landing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above.
- Apollo 12 (1969): Second landing, in the Ocean of Storms. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean landed near the Surveyor 3 probe; Richard Gordon stayed in orbit.
- Apollo 13 (1970): Intended to land, but an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft. The crew—Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise—returned safely using the LM as a lifeboat.
- Apollo 14 (1971): Third landing, at Fra Mauro. Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the Moon; Stuart Roosa orbited.
- Apollo 15 (1971): Fourth landing, at Hadley–Apennine. David Scott and James Irwin used the first Lunar Roving Vehicle; Al Worden orbited.
- Apollo 16 (1972): Fifth landing, at the Descartes Highlands. John Young and Charles Duke explored; Ken Mattingly orbited.
- Apollo 17 (1972): Sixth and final landing, at Taurus–Littrow. Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt (the only geologist to walk on the Moon) collected samples; Ron Evans orbited.
Why Did Apollo End?
The Apollo program was cancelled after Apollo 17. The primary reasons were budget cuts and shifting national priorities. The Vietnam War and domestic social programs competed for federal funds, and public interest in Moon landings had waned after the initial excitement of Apollo 11. Three additional missions—Apollo 18, 19, and 20—were planned but cancelled in 1970. Their hardware was repurposed: the Saturn V rockets were used for the Skylab space station and the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, and some lunar modules were placed in museums.
Key Achievements and Records
- First Moon walk: Apollo 11, July 20, 1969, by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
- Longest lunar surface stay: Apollo 17, about 75 hours, with three moonwalks totaling about 22 hours.
- Most lunar samples returned: Apollo 17 brought back 110 kg (243 lb) of rock and soil.
- First lunar rover: Apollo 15, which allowed astronauts to travel several kilometers from the lander.
- Only night launch: Apollo 17, which lifted off at night.
- Farthest humans have traveled from Earth: Apollo 13, which passed around the far side of the Moon at a distance of about 400,000 km (248,000 mi) from Earth.
Common Misconceptions
A frequent mistake is counting Apollo 1 as a spaceflight—it never left the ground. Another is thinking Apollo 13 landed on the Moon; it did not, though it is often called a “successful failure” because the crew survived. Some people also assume the program ended because of a lack of technology or a single catastrophic event, but the cancellations were largely financial and political. The Saturn V remains the most powerful rocket ever flown successfully, and no human has walked on the Moon since Apollo 17.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Apollo missions actually landed on the Moon?
Six missions landed on the Moon: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Apollo 13 was intended to be the seventh landing but aborted due to an explosion.
Were there any Apollo missions after 17?
No. Apollo 18, 19, and 20 were cancelled. Their hardware was used for Skylab and the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, but no further lunar missions were flown.
Why did Apollo 1 have no flight?
Apollo 1 was destroyed by a fire during a launch rehearsal test on January 27, 1967. The astronauts died, and the program was delayed while the command module was redesigned for safety.
How many people have walked on the Moon?
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, all during the six successful Apollo landings. The first were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin; the last were Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.
What was the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project?
It was a joint mission between the US and the Soviet Union in 1975, where an Apollo command module docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in Earth orbit. It is often considered the final flight of Apollo hardware, though it was not a lunar mission.
Legacy of the Apollo Program
The Apollo program produced the only human lunar landings to date. It drove advances in computing, materials science, and rocketry, and it returned 382 kg (842 lb) of lunar samples that are still studied today. The program also inspired a generation of scientists and engineers, and its influence is visible in modern efforts like the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon in the 2020s. Apollo remains a benchmark for human space exploration, and its missions are still the subject of intense public and scientific interest.
Related
- Mother Earth Outfit: Meaning & Style Guide
- Mother Earth Peanut Butter: What It Is
- Tradition of Craftsmanship: Origins & Meaning
How pages are sourced and corrected: Sources and editorial policy.