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


Long March 7A
Success
1 day, 9 hours ago
Yaogan 46
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Classified Earth observation satellite officially reported as for "national resources/hydrology/meteorology surveying & disaster management" purposes.


LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III)
Success
2 days, 1 hour ago
CMS-03 (GSAT-7R)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

Communications Satellite for the Indian Navy, replacing GSAT-7 for secure real-time links between Indian warships, submarines, aircraft, and shore-ba…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 8 hours ago
Bandwagon 4 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

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


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 16 hours ago
Starlink Group 11-23
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.


Long March 2
Success
3 days, 21 hours ago
Shenzhou 21
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Tenth crewed flight to the Chinese space station.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 20 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-37
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.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 11-21
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
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 10-21
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

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


Long March 3
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Gaofen-14 02
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Gaofen is a series of civilian Earth observation satellites developed and launched for the China High-definition Earth Observation System (CHEOS), a …


H3-24
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
HTV-X1
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2 - Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

First flight of the upgraded Japanese HTV-X spacecraft designed to resupply the International Space Station.