The Apollo Lunar Module was the lunar lander that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the American Apollo program . Ten Lunar Modules were launched into space between 1968 and 1972. It was the first crewed spacecraft to operate exclusively in space, and remains the only crewed vehicle to land anywhere beyond Earth. Incapable of flight through Earth's atmosphere, the two-stage spacecraft was ferried to lunar orbit attached to the Apollo command and service module , about twice its mass. Its crew of two flew the Lunar Module from lunar orbit to the Moon's surface. During takeoff, the spent descent stage was used as a launch pad for the ascent stage which then flew back to the command module , after which it was also discarded. This photograph, taken by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, shows Buzz Aldrin removing equipment from the Lunar Module Eagle on the surface of the Moon at Tranquility Base .