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Other Luna Missions | Luna 24
Other Luna Missions
Mission
|
Launch Date
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Mission Notes
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Type of Mission
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Additional Information
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Luna 1
|
2 Jan 1959
|
Passed over the Moon at 5000-6000 kilometres on 4 Jan 1959
|
Lunar flyby
|
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Luna 2
|
12 Sept 1959
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Impacted Moon 13 Sept 1959 at 22:02:04 UTC Palus Putredinis, 29.10°N lat., 0.0° long
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Lunar landing
|
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Luna 3
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4 Oct 1959
|
Photographed the farside of the Moon on 7 Oct 1959
|
Lunar flyby
|
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31 Jan 1966
|
Landed on Moon 3 Feb 1966 at 18:44:52 UTC Oceanus Procellarum, 7.08°N lat., 295.63°E long
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Lunar landing
|
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Luna 10
|
31 Mar 1966
|
Entered lunar orbit on 3 Apr 1966
|
Lunar orbiter
|
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Luna 11
|
24 Aug 1966
|
Entered lunar orbit on 28 Aug 1966
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Lunar orbiter
|
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Luna 12
|
22 Oct 1966
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Entered lunar orbit on 25 Oct 1966 and returned images
|
Lunar orbiter
|
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Luna 13
|
21 Dec 1966
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Landed on Moon 24 Dec 1966 at 18:01:00 UTC Oceanus Procellarum, 18.87°N lat., 297.95°E long
|
Lunar landing
|
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Luna 14
|
7 Apr 1968
|
Entered lunar orbit on 10 April 1968
|
Lunar orbiter
|
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Luna 15
|
13 July 1969
|
Crashed on Moon 21 July 1969 at 15:51 UTC Mare Crisium,17°N lat., 60°W long. Believed to have been an attempted sample return mission, similar to Luna 16, 20 and 24
|
Lunar lander
|
|
12 Sept 1970
|
Landed on Moon 20 Sept 1970 at 05:18:00 UTC Mare Fecunditatis, 0.68°S lat., 56.30°E long
|
Lunar sample return
|
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Luna 17
|
10 Nov 1970
|
Landed on Moon 17 Nov 1970 at 03:47:00 UTC Mare Imbrium, 38.28°N lat., 325.00°E long Lunar Rover - Lunokhod
|
Lunar lander
|
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Luna 19
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28 Sept 1971
|
Entered lunar orbit on 3 Oct 1971 and returned images
|
Lunar orbiter
|
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14 Feb 1972
|
Landed on Moon 21 Feb 1972 at 19:19:00 UTC Mare Fecunditatis, 3.57°N lat., 56.50°E long. Lunar sample return to Earth 25 Feb 1972
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Lunar landing
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Luna 21
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8 Jan 1973
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Landed on Moon 15 Jan 1973 at 23:35:00 UTC Mare Serenitatis, 25.51°N lat., 30.38°E long. Lunar Rover - Lunokhod 2
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Lunar landing
|
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Luna 22
|
2 June 1974
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Entered lunar orbit around 3 June 1974 and returned images
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Lunar orbiter
|
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14 Aug 1976
|
Landed on Moon 18 Aug 1976 at 02:00:00 UTC Mare Crisium, 12.25°N lat., 62.20°E long
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Lunar sample return
|
The Luna Space Programme was one of two lunar exploration programs conducted by the former Soviet Union. This was a very long-running program, with the first mission flying in 1959 and the last flying in 1976. The Luna missions were designed to collect information about the Moon and its environment, not only for scientific purposes but also to be used in the planning of future lunar missions including manned missions to the Moon. The series included flyby, lunar-orbiting and soft-landing missions.
Although the Luna program experienced many ups and downs and failed to lead to a manned mission to the Moon, it also achieved many 'firsts'. Among them were the first flyby of the Moon, the first impact on the Moon, the first photographs of the farside, the first soft landing, the first lunar satellite, the first analysis of lunar soil, the first sample return, and the first lunar rover deployment. These missions also were successful in performing remote sensing and photography of the Moon, operating two rovers on the lunar surface, and returning three sets of lunar samples.
