Canceled Apollo Missions - Follow-on Lunar Missions

Follow-on Lunar Missions

NASA contracted to have 15 flight-worthy Saturn Vs produced. Apollo 11 achieved the first landing with the sixth Saturn V, leaving nine for follow-on landings. The following landing sites were chosen for these missions, planned to occur at intervals of approximately four months through July 1972.

  • Apollo 12 (H1) Nov. 1969, Ocean of Storms (Surveyor 3 site)
  • Apollo 13 (H2) April 1970, Fra Mauro highlands
  • Apollo 14 (H3) Littrow crater
  • Apollo 15 (H4) Censorinus crater

The last 5 missions were J-class missions using the Extended Lunar Module, capable of three-day stays on the Moon and carrying the lunar rover:

  • Apollo 16 (J1) Descartes Highlands
  • Apollo 17 (J2) Marius Hills
  • Apollo 18 (J3) Copernicus crater
  • Apollo 19 (J4) Hadley Rille
  • Apollo 20 (J5) Tycho crater (Surveyor VII site)

As the later missions were up to three years out, little detailed planning was made, and a variety of landing sites were given for some flights. According to "NASA OMSF, Manned Space Flight Weekly Report" dated July 28, 1969, Apollo 18 would have landed at Schröter's Valley in February 1972, Apollo 19 in the Hyginus rille region in July 1972, and Apollo 20 in Copernicus crater in December 1972.

Other proposed landing sites and schedules for the last three missions included Gassendi crater (Apollo 18, July 1973), Copernicus (Apollo 19, December 1973), and Marius Hills or Tycho crater (Apollo 20, July 1974).

As a number of ambitious Apollo Applications Programs were planned, it was still hoped in 1969 that further Saturn V launch vehicles could be contracted, allowing for more ambitious lunar missions.

In the NASA report "Scientific Rationale Summaries for Apollo Candidate Lunar Exploration Landing Sites" from March 11, 1970, Apollo 18 is targeted for Copernicus, and Apollo 19 is assigned Hadley rille (the eventual landing site of Apollo 15). The Apollo 20 mission had been canceled two months before, but the report still suggested its target, Hyginus rille, possibly as an alternative Apollo 19 landing site.

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