Apollo Program · First crewed Lunar Module flight (Earth orbit)
Apollo 9
- Launch
- 1969-03-03 16:00 UTC
- Return
- 1969-03-13 17:00 UTC
- Duration
- 10 days 01 hour 00 minutes
Mission summary
Apollo 9 was the first crewed flight of the Lunar Module and the first time the complete Apollo spacecraft — CSM 'Gumdrop' and LM 'Spider' — flew together with a crew. McDivitt, Scott, and Schweickart spent ten days in Earth orbit exercising every LM system. Schweickart's spacewalk verified the PLSS backpack that would later support lunar surface operations. McDivitt and Schweickart's flight in Spider 183 kilometers from the CSM and back was the rehearsal that cleared the LM for use at the Moon.
Crew
| Astronaut | Prior missions | Subsequent missions |
|---|---|---|
|
James A. McDivitt Commander |
Gemini 4 | None — became Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager |
|
David R. Scott Command Module Pilot |
Gemini 8 | Apollo 15 (Commander) |
|
Russell L. "Rusty" Schweickart Lunar Module Pilot |
None (first flight) | None |
Launch vehicle
Saturn V SA-504
Objectives
- First crewed flight of the Lunar Module (Spider).
- First Apollo crew rendezvous and docking — CSM 'Gumdrop' with LM 'Spider'.
- First crewed test of the LM descent and ascent engines.
- Test the Apollo Portable Life Support System (PLSS) backpack on a spacewalk.
Milestones
| When | Event |
|---|---|
| 1969-03-03 16:00 UTC |
Launched from LC-39A.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo9.html |
| 1969-03-06 | Schweickart spacewalk — first crewed test of the PLSS backpack life-support system. |
| 1969-03-07 | McDivitt and Schweickart undocked Spider, flew up to 183 km from Gumdrop, and returned — first crewed flight of an LM and first space rendezvous between two crewed spacecraft both ferrying humans. |
| 1969-03-13 17:00 UTC | Splashed down in the Atlantic; recovered by USS Guadalcanal. |
Primary sources
Last updated 2026-05-09 15:17 UTC.