Soviet Luna Program

The Soviet Luna Program was a series of missions launched between 1959 and 1976 aimed at exploring the Moon. It included both robotic landers and orbiters, successfully achieving milestones such as the first spacecraft to impact the Moon (Luna 2) and the first to soft-land (Luna 9). The program gathered valuable data on the lunar surface and environment, contributing to our understanding of the Moon’s geology and potential resources. The Luna missions were part of the broader space race, reflecting the Soviet Union's ambitions in space exploration during the Cold War.