Luna 1 (Mechta / E-1 No.4), a Soviet lunar impactor launched on a Vostok-L 8K72 from Baikonur. A second-stage burn error caused it to miss the Moon by about 6,000 km, but it became the first spacecraft to leave Earth orbit and enter heliocentric orbit.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- Lunar Impactor
- Lunar impact
- Payload to orbit
- 205 kg
- Flight
- 4th
- of 9 Vostok-L 8K72 flights
- Date and time
- 2 January 1959, 16:41 UTC
- Rocket
- Vostok-L 8K72
- Builder
- RKK Energia
- Launch site
- 1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
- Payload
- Lunar Exploration
- International designator
- 1959-012
- Launches in 1959
- 1st of 23
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas