Luna 1

Luna 1
A museum replica
Mission typeLunar impactor[1]
OperatorSoviet space program
Harvard designation1959 Mu 1
COSPAR ID1959-012A[2]
SATCAT no.00112[2]
Mission durationApproximately 62 hours[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeYe-1
ManufacturerOKB-1
Launch mass361.3 kilograms (797 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date2 January 1959, 16:41:21 (1959-01-02UTC16:41:21Z) UTC[1]
RocketLuna 8K72
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 1/5
End of mission
Last contact5 January 1959
Orbital parameters
Reference systemHeliocentric
Semi-major axis1.146 AU
Eccentricity0.14767
Perihelion altitude0.9766 AU
Aphelion altitude1.315 AU
Inclination0.01°
Period450 days
Epoch1 January 1959, 19:00:00 GMT[3]
Lunar flyby (failed impact)
Closest approach4 January 1959
Distance5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi)

Luna 1, also known as Mechta (Russian: Мечта [mʲɪt͡ɕˈta], lit.: Dream), E-1 No.4 and First Lunar Rover,[4] was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of Earth's Moon, the first spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit, and the first to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as a Moon impactor, Luna 1 was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme in 1959.

A malfunction in the ground-based control system caused an error in the upper stage rocket's burn time, and the spacecraft missed the Moon by 5,900 km (more than three times the Moon's radius). Luna 1 became the first human-made object to reach heliocentric orbit and was dubbed "Artificial Planet 1"[5] and renamed Mechta (Dream).[6] Luna 1 was also referred to as the "First Cosmic Ship",[5] in reference to its achievement of Earth escape velocity.

  1. ^ a b c d Siddiqi 2018, p. 11.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nssdc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Luna 1 Launch and Trajectory Information". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. ^ Harvey 2007a, p. 26.
  5. ^ a b "Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. ^ Cormack 2012, p. 342.