Luna 1 but it was a second or two before we realised what we had". The picture shows the lights of Edinburgh in the foreground. The rocket is seen as an illuminated cloud top centre." "Luna 1" was meant to crash on the Moon; however, due to a malfunction of the ground control system, the probe missed its target by 5,995 kilometers. Despite this, "Luna 1" still managed to collect vital information to assist in the understanding of the universe. Its goal to crash on the Moon was subsequently achieved by Luna 2 on September 13, 1959. Luna 1 Luna 1, also
Luna programme not assigned a Luna number. Those that failed in low Earth orbit were usually given Cosmos designations. The estimated cost of the Luna programme was about $4.5 billion. "Luna 1" (January 1959) missed its intended impact with the Moon and became the first spacecraft to fall into orbit around the Sun. "Luna 2" (September 1959) mission successfully hit the Moon's surface, becoming the first man-made object to reach the Moon. "Luna 3" (October 1959) rounded the Moon later that year, and returned the first photographs of its far side, which can never be seen from Earth. "Luna 9" (February 1966)