Apollo 5, also known as AS-204, was the un-crewed first flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, that would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. The Saturn IB rocket bearing the LM lifted off from Cape Kennedy on January 22, 1968. The mission was successful, though due to programming problems, an alternate mission to that originally planned was executed.

pollo 5 (launched January 22, 1968), also known as AS-204, was the un-crewed first flight of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM), that would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. The mission lifted off from Cape Kennedy with a Saturn IB rocket. The mission was successful, though due to programming problems, an alternate mission to that originally planned was executed. Like Apollo 4, this flight was long-delayed, due in part to setbacks in development of the LM at Grumman, the manufacturer. The original S-IB rocket that was to take the first LM (LM-1) to space was taken down during the delays and replaced with the S-IB atop which the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts had taken place; the displaced rocket later flew to take astronauts to Skylab. LM-1 arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre in June 1967; the following months were occupied in testing and placing the LM atop the S-IB. After final delays due to equipment trouble, the countdown began on January 21, 1968, and the space vehicle was launched the following day. Once the craft reached orbit and the LM separated from the S-IVB booster, the program of orbital testing began, but a planned burn was aborted due to a programming issue. Flight Director Gene Kranz and his team at Mission Control in Houston quickly diagnosed the problem and decided on an alternate mission, during which the mission's goals of testing LM-1 were accomplished. The mission was successful enough that a contemplated second un-crewed mission to test the LM was dispensed with, advancing NASA's plans to land an astronaut on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, with a safe return to Earth.