100 Years Since 1st Modern Rocket Launch, Humans Head Back to Moon

Robert Goddard's pioneering 1926 liquid-fueled rocket paved the way for today's space exploration.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 6:15pm

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On March 16, 1926, physicist Robert H. Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, igniting a century of space exploration that led to humans reaching low Earth orbit and eventually the moon. Goddard's 10-foot rocket, which flew for less than three seconds and reached an altitude of about 41 feet, laid the groundwork for modern rocketry. Now, 100 years later, the U.S. is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon as part of the Artemis II mission, using the most powerful rocket ever built.

Why it matters

Goddard's pioneering work in liquid-fueled rocketry was a major breakthrough that enabled the development of rockets capable of reaching space and eventually sending humans to the moon. His experiments and theories inspired other scientists around the world and laid the foundation for modern space exploration, from satellite launches to missions to the International Space Station and beyond.

The details

Goddard's 1926 rocket was powered by gasoline and liquid oxygen, a significant advancement from the gunpowder and solid fuels used by most rockets at the time. While other scientists overseas were also experimenting with rocketry, Goddard's 1919 paper "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" brought his work to global attention. His rocket designs and theories were later built upon by scientists like Hermann Oberth, contributing to the development of the V-2 rocket and eventually the rockets that sent astronauts into space and to the moon.

  • On March 16, 1926, Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket.
  • In May 1959, NASA renamed its first spaceflight complex the "Goddard Space Flight Center" in honor of Goddard's pioneering work.
  • The Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts around the far side of the moon, is scheduled to launch in the coming years.

The players

Robert H. Goddard

An American physicist who is considered the father of modern rocketry, Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in 1926 and went on to create and launch more than 35 rockets throughout his lifetime.

Hermann Oberth

A German scientist who built on Goddard's theories and work, contributing to the development of the V-2 rocket and the rockets that eventually sent humans to space and the moon.

NASA

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which in 1959 renamed its first spaceflight complex the "Goddard Space Flight Center" in honor of Goddard's pioneering work in rocketry.

Artemis II

An upcoming NASA mission that will send four astronauts around the far side of the moon, the first crewed mission to the moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972.

Clark University

The university where Goddard earned his master's and doctorate degrees in physics, and where he later served as director of the physics department for two decades.

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What they’re saying

“It all comes back down to March 16 in 1926 because he was the one that proved that it could be done and then actually did it.”

— Ed Stewart, Curator at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

“I think the breakthrough was, first of all, that Goddard had this dream of getting a rocket ship off the surface of the Earth. And then, of course, the dream was to go to Mars.”

— Charles 'Chuck' Agosta, Physics professor at Clark University

“I'm pretty confident that in a hundred years, we're going to be all over space. Considering the thousands of airplanes in our own skies every day, it's inevitable and that we'll at least be in the planets close to us by the next century.”

— Charles 'Chuck' Agosta, Physics professor at Clark University

What’s next

The Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts around the far side of the moon, is scheduled to launch in the coming years as part of NASA's plan to return humans to the lunar surface.

The takeaway

Goddard's pioneering work in liquid-fueled rocketry a century ago laid the groundwork for modern space exploration, from satellite launches to missions to the International Space Station and beyond. His experiments and theories inspired scientists around the world and paved the way for the upcoming Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972.