On this day in space! Aug. 2, 1971: Apollo 15 makes 1st-ever televised liftoff from the moon

On this particular day in August 1971, a historic event took place - the first-ever televised liftoff from the moon. Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin ventured onto the lunar surface for three days, departing in a lunar module named "Falcon." Mounted on their lunar rover was an RCA TV camera, pointed at Falcon as Scott parked it approximately 300 feet away.

Mission Control in Houston had the choice to manipulate the camera, but due to some technical issues, they decided to keep it fixed in the same direction. As the lunar module Falcon ascended, producing a quick pop and sparks before vanishing from sight, the live broadcast commenced. Shortly after, Falcon merged with the command module "Endeavour," and the Apollo 15 crew initiated their return journey to Earth.

Apollo 15 had launched on July 26, 1971, with Scott commanding the mission, Irwin serving as lunar module pilot, and Al Worden as command module pilot. The Apollo 15's Falcon lunar lander descended onto the moon's surface on July 30. Both Irwin and Scott conducted three moonwalks and tested the new lunar rover before their liftoff on August 2.

The crew remained in lunar orbit until August 4, when they departed for Earth, concluding their mission with a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean on August 7. This milestone was significant as it marked the beginning of live video transmissions from the moon, a process that is now commonplace on the International Space Station.

Moreover, the camera mounted on Apollo 15's Lunar Roving Vehicle, which also debuted on this mission, provided engineers with valuable insights into lunar module behavior during liftoff in the moon's one-sixth gravity. This legacy of live video from the moon reached new heights during NASA's Artemis II mission in April 2026, which sent the first astronaut to visit the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The Artemis II Orion spacecraft was equipped with cameras, both inside and out, enabling NASA to provide continuous live coverage of the journey to the moon and back.