Vostok-L 8K72 | Luna-3
Status: Success | Launched: Oct 04, 1959 00:43 UTC
Launch Provider & Rocket
- Provider: Soviet Space Program (Government)
- Rocket: Vostok-L 8K72 — Vostok family
Mission
Luna 3 was a Soviet spacecraft and was the first ever mission to photograph the far side of the moon.
- Type: Lunar Exploration
- Orbit: Lunar flyby (Lunar flyby)
Launch Site
- Pad: 1/5
- Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
- View on map
Program
- Luna — 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. (Wikipedia)
Launch data sourced automatically from the Launch Library 2 API. Last refreshed: 2026-10-07T01:00:56.820087+00:00.