File:Luna_16.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Mission type
- Lunar sample return
- Operator
- Soviet space program
- Cospar id
- 1970-072A
- Mission duration
- 12 days
- Bus
- Ye-8-5
- Manufacturer
- GSMZ Lavochkin
- Launch mass
- 5,725 kg (12,621 lb)
- Landing mass
- 1,880 kg (4,140 lb)
- Launch date
- 12 September 1970, 13:25:52 ( 1970-09-12UTC13:25:52Z ) UTC
- Rocket
- Proton-K / D
- Launch site
- Baikonur 81/23
- Landing date
- 24 September 1970, 05:25 ( 1970-09-24UTC05:26Z ) UTC
- Landing site
- 47°24′N 68°36′E / 47.400°N 68.600°E / 47.400; 68.600
- Reference system
- Selenocentric
- Semi major axis
- 6,488.8 km (4,032.0 mi)
- Periselene altitude
- 111 km (69 mi)
- Aposelene altitude
- 111 km (69 mi)
- Inclination
- 70°
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- artificial satellite
- Part of
- Luna programme
- Followed by
- Luna 17
- Follows
- Luna 15
- Image
- Luna 16 Space Probe 01.jpg
- Significant event
- landing
Show 5 more facts
- UTC date of spacecraft landing
- 1970-09-20
- location of landing
- Mare Fecunditatis
- space launch vehicle
- Proton-K
- Commons category
- Luna 16
- UTC date of spacecraft launch
- 1970-09-12
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Luna 16 was an uncrewed 1970 space mission, part of the Soviet Luna program. It was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample of lunar soil to Earth. The 101 grams (3.56 ounces) sample was returned from Mare Fecunditatis. It represented the first successful lunar sample return mission by the Soviet Union and was the third lunar sample return mission overall.
Overview
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Luna 16” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Gallery (8)
On the map
2 mapped locations