Luna Missions

The Luna missions were a series of Soviet space expeditions launched between 1959 and 1976, aimed at exploring the Moon. They included the first spacecraft to reach the Moon, take photographs, and even deliver robotic landers and rovers. Notable achievements of the Luna program include Luna 2, the first human-made object to impact the Moon, and Luna 9, which achieved the first soft landing. These missions contributed significantly to our understanding of the Moon's surface and geology, laying the groundwork for future lunar exploration, including crewed Apollo missions by NASA and ongoing international lunar initiatives.