Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Apollo 8 Launch

Edited footage of the Apollo 8 launch, several camera views compiled. Runs from T-00:25 through T+03:25. See the mighty Saturn V launch vehicle in action, carrying humans for the first time. Watch ou...

High Quality - Apollo 8 Saturn V rocket launch

This video is capture from Discovery Channel HD, the video is not in HD, that's why i didn't put HD in the title, Don't confused HQ & HD the "High Quality" have been used in VHS or Betamax. Apollo 8 w...

Apollo 8 - Wikipedia

First crewed space mission to orbit the Moon Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times without landing and then returned to Earth.[1][2][3...

Apollo 8

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit Launch Complex 39A Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Apollo 8 was the first flight of the mighty Saturn V launch vehicle key to human exploration of the moon. The three-astronaut crew — Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders. This Mission was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon.

Saturn V

Family:
Configuration: V

The Saturn V was a human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA between 1967 and 1973. Most notably, the Saturn V took the Apollo program to the Moon. It still remains the world's tallest, heaviest, and most powerful rocket ever brought to operational status and is the only launch vehicle to take humans beyond LEO.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    110.6 m
  • Diameter
    10.1 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    2970.0 T
  • Thrust
    35100.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Saturn V
  • Family
  • Variant
    V
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Saturn V
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    140000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Apollo CSM-103


In-active Human Rated Crew On-board: 3 Crew Capacity: 3 Payload Capacity: 1050 kg
Destination: Moon Orbit
Serial Number: CSM-103

CSM-103 was an Apollo Command & Service Module used in the Apollo 8 mission.

Apollo Command/Service Module Details

Crew


Frank Borman

Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Deceased

Date of Birth: March 14, 1928
Date of Death: Nov. 7, 2023

Jim Lovell

Command Module Pilot - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Deceased

Date of Birth: March 25, 1928
Date of Death: Aug. 7, 2025

William Anders

Lunar Module Pilot - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Deceased

Date of Birth: Oct. 17, 1933
Date of Death: June 7, 2024

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA)

Acting Administrator: James Free Founded: 1958 Successes: 121 Failures: 20 Pending: 5

Agency Type:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

INFO WIKI

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A


Falcon 9
Success
12 hours, 24 minutes ago
Transporter 15 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 day, 21 hours ago
Soyuz MS-28
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Soyuz MS-28 will carry three cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome…


Nuri
Success
2 days, 14 hours ago
CAS500-3
LC-2 - Naro Space Center, South Korea

CAS500-3 is a South Korean Earth observation satellites to be used by the Ministry of Science and ICT for space technology verification and space sci…


Angara 1.2
Success
3 days, 17 hours ago
Kosmos (Unknown Payload)
35/1 - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity and Cosmos series numbering not confirmed. Unknown Payload(s) for the Russian military.


Long March 2F/G
Success
4 days, 2 hours ago
Shenzhou 22
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Shenzhou 22 (Chinese: 神舟二十二号) will be the 22nd flight of the Shenzhou program. The spacecraft will be launched without crew to replace Shenzhou 20 th…


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 22 hours ago
Starlink Group 11-30
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 23 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-79
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 3B/E
Success
1 week ago
TJSW-21
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 6-78
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Follow My Speed (BlackSky Gen-3 3)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Note: Payload and customer identities were not publicly announced. 3rd of the BlackSky Gen-3 high resolution Earth-imaging satellites.