Mission record

Apollo 10

Also known as Charlie Brown, Snoopy

NASA · Launched May 18, 1969

Completed · Success

NASA's Apollo 10 was a crewed mission to the Moon: the dress rehearsal for the first landing, taking the Lunar Module to within 15 km of the surface without landing.

Destinations: Moon Show Moon in the explorer
Launch vehicle: Saturn 5
Launch site: Cape Canaveral, United States
Countries: United States
Mission types: Crewed, Orbiter

Chronology

Mission timeline

May 18, 1969, 16:49:00 UTC
Launch
Apollo 10 launched
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 00:00:00.6 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 17:00:53 UTC
Orbit insertion
Parking orbit insertion
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 00:11:53.8 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 19:28:20 UTC
Milestone
Translunar injection completed
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 02:39:20.5 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 19:51:42 UTC
Milestone
Charlie Brown separated from the S-IVB
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 03:02:42 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 19:51:42 UTC
Milestone
Apollo 10 S-IVB separated from Charlie Brown
Adamo Table 12 gives CSM/S-IVB separation at 19:51:42 GMT; Table 13 defines the nominal S-IVB initial state at 19:51:42.4 GMT. The event timestamp retains only whole-second catalog precision; historical GMT-to-UTC realization is unresolved.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 20:06:37 UTC
Milestone
Charlie Brown docked with Snoopy
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 03:17:37 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 20:45:26 UTC
Deployment
Docked spacecraft extracted from the launch stage
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 03:56:26 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 20:45:26 UTC
Milestone
Mated CSM/LM ejected from the S-IVB
Adamo Table 12 reports GET 003:56:26 and GMT 20:45:26. The event falls within the reconstructed coast; the nominal source solution supplies no separately validated impulse state for the ejection.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 21:28:10 UTC
Milestone
Spacecraft separation maneuver
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 04:39:10 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 21:28:12 UTC
Milestone
Spacecraft separation maneuver cutoff
Mission report Table 6-II, GET 04:39:12.7 from range zero 1969-05-18 16:49:00 GMT.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 21:34:36 UTC
Milestone
Finite post-TLI S-IVB propulsive accelerations began
Adamo Table 12 gives the finite acceleration start. The nominal model replaces these finite accelerations with an impulse at 21:46 GMT; no states are published through the finite-burn interval.
Earth
May 18, 1969, 22:18:05 UTC
Milestone
Finite post-TLI S-IVB propulsive accelerations ended
Adamo Table 12 gives the finite acceleration end. The supported reconstructed coasts stop at 21:34:35 and resume at 22:18:06 GMT, leaving the documented event interval unsupported.
Earth
May 19, 1969, 19:21:56 UTC
Milestone
First midcourse correction
Mission report Table 6-II, GET 26:32:56.8 from range zero 1969-05-18 16:49:00 GMT.
Earth
May 21, 1969, 20:44:54 UTC
Orbit insertion
Lunar orbit insertion began
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 75:55:54 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 21, 1969, 23:40:04 UTC
Flyby
Apollo 10 S-IVB lunar pericynthion
Adamo Table 12 reports lunar pericynthion at 23:40:04 GMT on May 21 at 3,112 km altitude. This event is a reconstruction constraint, not an independently published state vector.
Moon
May 22, 1969, 01:14:08 UTC
Milestone
Lunar orbit circularization
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 80:25:08 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 22, 1969, 19:00:57 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy undocked for the lunar landing rehearsal
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 98:11:57 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 22, 1969, 20:35:02 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy entered the descent rehearsal orbit
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 99:46:02 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 22, 1969, 21:47:26 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy phasing maneuver
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 100:58:26 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 22, 1969, 23:34:17 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy jettisoned its descent stage
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 102:45:17 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 22, 1969, 23:44:02 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy ascent-stage insertion maneuver
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 102:55:02 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 00:34:55 UTC
Milestone
Coelliptic sequence initiation
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 103:45:55 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 01:32:53 UTC
Milestone
Constant differential height maneuver
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 104:43:53 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 02:11:56 UTC
Milestone
Terminal rendezvous phase initiation
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 105:22:56 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 03:11:02 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy ascent stage redocked with Charlie Brown
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 106:22:02 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 05:13:36 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy ascent stage jettisoned after crew transfer
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 108:24:36 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 05:32:23 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy final separation burn
Mission report Table 6-II, GET 108:43:23.3 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 05:41:05 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy ascent-engine depletion burn began
Mission report Table 6-II, GET 108:52:05.5 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 23, 1969, 05:45:14 UTC
Milestone
Snoopy ascent-engine depletion burn ended
Mission report Table 6-II, GET 108:56:14.5 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 24, 1969, 10:25:29 UTC
Departure
Charlie Brown departed lunar orbit
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 137:36:29 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Moon
May 26, 1969, 13:38:58 UTC
Milestone
Earth-return midcourse correction
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 188:49:58 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 26, 1969, 16:22:26 UTC
Milestone
Command module separated from service module
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 191:33:26 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 26, 1969, 16:37:55 UTC
Milestone
Command module crossed entry interface
Mission report Table 3-I / Table 6-II, GET 191:48:55 from 1969-05-18 16:49:00 UTC. Fractional source seconds are retained in the lifecycle provenance.
Earth
May 26, 1969, 16:52:23 UTC
Landing
Apollo 10 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean
The 1969 mission report gives GET 192:03:23 (1652 GMT). It records the recovery-forces estimate as 15°02′ S, 164°39′ W; the onboard estimate at drogue deployment is 15°04.2′ S, 164°39′ W, and its best-estimated trajectory gives 15°03.6′ S, 164°39′ W. NASA's later mission-details page instead states 5°08′ S, 165° W, a discrepancy unresolved here. The descent stage was left in lunar orbit and was not tracked to impact.
Earth

Mission architecture

Vehicles

Charlie Brown · Spacecraft
Destinations: Moon
Snoopy · Lander
Destinations: Moon
Apollo 10 S-IVB-505 · Other

Trajectory record

Time-dependent navigation trajectory

Source states place the model at the selected time. Reconstructed flight, estimates, predictions and historical mission plans are identified by interval; gaps remain visible.

J2000 · Sun-centered display · positions interpolated between source states

Coverage: May 18, 1969 to May 29, 1969

Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.

Snoopy ascent stage (Apollo 10): Reconstructed · May 23, 1969 to May 28, 1969
Apollo 10 S-IVB-505: Reconstructed · May 18, 1969 to May 29, 1969
Charlie Brown (Apollo 10 CSM): Physically reconstructed based on publicly available data · May 18, 1969 to May 19, 1969

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through October 7, 2026

Apollo 10 Command and Service Module - NASA NSSDCA Spacecraft Details — NSSDCAArchive · Supports: mission claims · event claims
Apollo 10 Mission Report, MSC-00126, August 1969 — NASATechnical document · Supports: mission claims · event claims
Apollo 10: Mission Details — NASAMission page · Supports: mission claims · event claims
Earth Departure Trajectory Reconstruction of Apollo Program Components Undergoing Disposal in Interplanetary Space — OTHERPaper · Supports: mission claims · event claims
JPL Horizons Apollo 10 S-IVB-505 reconstructed trajectory vectors — JPLEphemeris · Supports: mission claims
DE421 lunar mean-Earth and principal-axes frame specification — NAIFTechnical document · Supports: destination/body context
DE440 lunar mean-Earth and principal-axes frame specification — NAIFSpice · Supports: destination/body context
IAU rotational elements and body radii (PCK 00011) — NAIFSpice · Supports: destination/body context
LOLA global lunar height maps, LDEM_4 V3 original PDS source label — NASATechnical document · Supports: destination/body context
LOLA 2023 south-polar elevation, uncertainty and effective-resolution maps — NASATechnical document · Supports: destination/body context
Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Seen From Above: LROC site and terrain context — NASATechnical document · Supports: destination/body context
Moon Facts — NASAOther · Supports: destination/body context
SLDEM2015 Blue Ghost region: original PDS elevation-grid label — NASATechnical document · Supports: destination/body context
JPL Solar System Dynamics Astrodynamic Parameters — JPLOther · Supports: destination/body context
Planet Sizes and Locations in Our Solar System — NASAOther · Supports: destination/body context

Mission timeline

Apollo 10 launched

Parking orbit insertion

Translunar injection completed

Charlie Brown separated from the S-IVB

Apollo 10 S-IVB separated from Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown docked with Snoopy

Docked spacecraft extracted from the launch stage

Mated CSM/LM ejected from the S-IVB

Spacecraft separation maneuver

Spacecraft separation maneuver cutoff

Finite post-TLI S-IVB propulsive accelerations began

Finite post-TLI S-IVB propulsive accelerations ended

First midcourse correction

Lunar orbit insertion began

Apollo 10 S-IVB lunar pericynthion

Lunar orbit circularization

Snoopy undocked for the lunar landing rehearsal

Snoopy entered the descent rehearsal orbit

Snoopy phasing maneuver

Snoopy jettisoned its descent stage

Snoopy ascent-stage insertion maneuver

Coelliptic sequence initiation

Constant differential height maneuver

Terminal rendezvous phase initiation

Snoopy ascent stage redocked with Charlie Brown

Snoopy ascent stage jettisoned after crew transfer

Snoopy final separation burn

Snoopy ascent-engine depletion burn began

Snoopy ascent-engine depletion burn ended

Charlie Brown departed lunar orbit

Earth-return midcourse correction

Command module separated from service module

Command module crossed entry interface

Apollo 10 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean

Vehicles

Time-dependent navigation trajectory

Sources