Lunar Exploration
Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Earth's Moon. Intended to be an impactor it was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme. Due to an incorrectly timed upper stage burn during launch it missed the Moon.
The Luna program was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. The program accomplished many firsts in space exploration, including first flyby of the Moon, first impact of the Moon and first photos of the far side of the Moon. Each mission was designed as either an orbiter or lander. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's chemical composition, gravity, temperature, and radiation.
Sep 23, 1958 — Aug 22, 1976
Orbital Attempt
#32
CCCP Mission
#8
Pad Launch
#8
Location Launch
#8
Designator
1959-012
Jan 2, 1959, 4:41 PM
1 update
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian crewed spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.
Timezone
Asia/Qyzylorda
Local Launch Time
Jan 2, 1959, 9:41 PM
Total Launches
1,564
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
45.9650, 63.3050
