16 July 1969 – launch of the Apollo 11 mission
16 July 1969 – launch of the Apollo 11 mission
On 16 July 1969 at 09:32 local time (13:32 UTC), the Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 11 mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida. Five engines (hence the name Saturn V) each produced a thrust of 7500 kilonewtons by burning 2500 kilograms of propellant per second. Only after 12 seconds did the rocket clear the launch tower. The first two stages and the first burn of the third stage brought the three Apollo 11 astronauts into Earth orbit. Subsequently, the third stage accelerated their spacecraft into a transfer orbit to the Moon, which it reached after three days.
