First liftoff from another celestial body

On 17/11/1967, NASA’s Surveyor 6 spacecraft achieved the first powered liftoff from the surface of another celestial body when it briefly lifted off from the Moon. Surveyor 6 had originally landed on the lunar surface in the Sinus Medii region on 10/11/1967 as part of NASA’s robotic Surveyor program, which aimed to study the Moon’s surface conditions in preparation for future crewed missions. After completing its initial surface operations, mission controllers commanded Surveyor 6 to ignite its vernier engines. The spacecraft lifted off vertically to a height of approximately 3 to 4 meters, moved laterally about 2.5 meters, and then landed again on the lunar surface. This short “hop” demonstrated that a spacecraft could perform a controlled powered ascent and descent from the Moon, providing valuable data on engine performance and lunar surface interaction in a low-gravity environment. Surveyor 6 continued transmitting data and images after the maneuver, contributing to scientific understanding of the Moon’s surface composition and mechanical properties. The mission remained operational until 14/12/1967, returning over 29,000 images during its lifetime.