The Apollo lunar module's Primary Guidance and Navigation Section (PGNS) was the first digital autopilot used in a manned spacecraft.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent sources (Smithsonian/Air & Space, Astronomy.com, NASA technical report, Engine History Society) support the claim that the PGNS was the first digital autopilot in a manned spacecraft. However, terminology varies across sources ('autopilot' vs. 'guidance/control system'), and no source explicitly rules out prior claims from other programs like Gemini, leaving some room for definitional ambiguity.
Sources
- The First True Spaceship (smithsonianmag.com)
- https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/building-apollo/ (astronomy.com)
- https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19780015068 (ntrs.nasa.gov)
- https://www.enginehistory.org/Rockets/RPE09.46/RPE09.46.shtml (enginehistory.org)