Luna 21

Luna 21
Luna 21 as seen from orbit by the LRO in March 2010
Mission typePlanetary Science
OperatorSoviet space program
COSPAR ID1973-001A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.6333
Mission duration8 days (day of launch to day of landing)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecrafts/n 204
Spacecraft typeYe-8
ManufacturerGSMZ Lavochkin
Launch mass5,700 kg (12,600 lb)[1]
Dry mass4,850 kg (10,690 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date06:55:38, 8 January 1973 (UTC) (1973-01-08T06:55:38Z)[1]
RocketProton-K/D
Launch siteBaikonur 81/23
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSelenocentric
Periselene altitude90 km (56 mi)
Aposelene altitude100 km (62 mi)
Inclination60°
Moon orbiter
Orbital insertion12 January 1973
Orbits~36
Moon lander
Landing date22:35, 15 January 1973
Landing site25°51′N 30°27′E / 25.85°N 30.45°E / 25.85; 30.45[2]
Moon rover
Spacecraft componentLunokhod 2
Landing date01:14, 16 January 1973
Distance driven42 km (26 mi)
← Luna 20
Luna 22 →

Luna 21 (Ye-8 series) was an uncrewed space mission, and its spacecraft, of the Luna program, also called Lunik 21, in 1973. The spacecraft landed on the Moon and deployed the second Soviet lunar rover, Lunokhod 2. The primary objectives of the mission were to collect images of the lunar surface, examine ambient light levels to determine the feasibility of astronomical observations from the Moon, perform laser ranging experiments from Earth, observe solar X-rays, measure local magnetic fields, and study mechanical properties of the lunar surface material.

  1. ^ a b Siddiqi, Asif (2018). Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016 (PDF) (second ed.). NASA History Program Office. ISBN 9781626830431.
  2. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Luna 21/Lunokhod 2". Retrieved 1 January 2011.