Apollo 8 rocket
This 1968 image shows the bottom section of the Saturn V rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This rocket was used for Apollo 8, the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit. Apollo 8 launched on December 21, 1968, sending NASA astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders on their historic journey around the Moon and back. NASA’s upcoming Artemis 2 mission—a crewed mission that won’t happen any earlier than late 2024—will serve the same purpose, as NASA iteratively works toward Artemis 3: the first crewed lunar landings since the Apollo era.
