Luna 16, the first fully robotic lunar sample-return mission, launched on a Proton-K/D from Baikonur on 12 September 1970. It soft-landed in Mare Fecunditatis, collected 101 g of regolith, and returned the capsule to Earth on 24 September.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- LO
- Lunar orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 5.8 T (est.)
- Flight
- 20th
- of 38 Proton / UR-500 K/D flights
- Date and time
- 12 September 1970, 13:25 UTC
- Rocket
- Proton / UR-500 K/D
- Builder
- Khrunichev
- Launch site
- 81/23 (81L), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
- Payload
- Lunar Exploration
- International designator
- 1970-072
- Launches in 1970
- 79th of 124
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas