NASA

On This Day in Space: NASA Launches Gemini 12 Mission With Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell

Marking the final flight of the Gemini program, Gemini 12 launched on November 11, 1966, setting the stage for NASA's Apollo lunar landings.

2026-11-11

NASA's Gemini 12 mission launched into orbit on November 11, 1966, carrying astronaut icons Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin as the grand finale of the Gemini program. The mission served as the ultimate proving ground before NASA could commit to landing humans on the moon via the Apollo program.

To ensure crews were fully prepared for lunar exploration, astronauts needed to master critical orbital maneuvers, including spacecraft docking and spacewalks. Following earlier spacewalk struggles due to limited handholds, NASA implemented crucial procedural and hardware updates for Gemini 12. Aldrin completed three successful spacewalks, spending over five hours working productively in open space. Paired with a successful docking to an unpiloted Agena booster, the four-day mission cemented the operational foundation for Apollo.