1969 in spaceflight 1969 in spaceflight 1969 saw humanity step onto another world for the first time. On 21 July 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, "Eagle," landed on the moon's surface with two astronauts aboard. Days later the crew of three returned safely to Earth, satisfying U.S. President John F. Kennedy's 1962 challenge of 25 May 1961, that "this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." There were four Apollo missions in total in 1969, three of which traveled to the moon,
2020s in spaceflight 2020s in spaceflight This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the 2020s. In 2020, NASA plans to launch the Mars 2020 rover, as well as carry out the maiden launch of the Space Launch System; in 2022, NASA plans to carry out the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System. The trend towards cost reduction in access to orbit is expected to continue. In 2020, Blue Origin plans the maiden flight of New Glenn with a reusable first stage. In 2022, SpaceX plans to launch its new fully reusable BFR. NASA plans a return to the Moon sometime