<P> Apollo 17 was the last manned Saturn V launch and the only night launch . The launch was delayed by two hours and forty minutes due to an automatic cutoff in the launch sequencer at the T - 30 second mark in the countdown . The issue was quickly determined to be a minor technical error . The clock was reset and held at the T - 22 minute mark while technicians worked around the malfunction in order to continue with the launch . This pause was the only launch delay in the Apollo program caused by this type of hardware failure . The count then resumed, and the liftoff occurred at 12: 33 am EST . </P> <P> Approximately 500,000 people were estimated to have observed the launch in the immediate vicinity of Kennedy Space Center, despite the early morning hour . The launch was visible as far away as 800 km (500 mi); observers in Miami, Florida, saw a "red streak" crossing the northern sky . </P> <P> At 3: 46 am EST, the S - IVB third stage was re-ignited to propel the spacecraft towards the Moon . </P> <P> At approximately 2: 47 pm EST on December 10, the Service Propulsion System engine on the Command / Service Module ignited to slow down the CSM / Lunar Module stack into lunar orbit . Following orbit insertion and orbital stabilization, the crew began preparations for landing in the Taurus - Littrow valley . </P>

When was the last time humans were on the moon