The main purpose of the Apollo missions was to land humans on the Moon and safely return them to Earth. Launched by NASA, the Apollo program began in the early 1960s and culminated in the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface. The program not only aimed to achieve this monumental feat of space exploration but also focused on conducting scientific research on lunar geology and demonstrating U.S. capabilities during the Cold War era.