 A museum replica | |
| Mission type | Lunar impactor[1] |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Harvard designation | 1959 Mu 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1959-012A[2] |
| SATCAT no. | 00112[2] |
| Mission duration | Approximately 62 hours[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Ye-1 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 361.3 kilograms (797 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 January 1959, 16:41:21 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Luna 8K72 |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 5 January 1959 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Heliocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 1.146 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.14767 |
| Perihelion altitude | 0.9766 AU |
| Aphelion altitude | 1.315 AU |
| Inclination | 0.01° |
| Period | 450 days |
| Epoch | 1 January 1959, 19:00:00 GMT[3] |
| Lunar flyby (failed impact) | |
| Closest approach | 4 January 1959 |
| Distance | 5,995 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.
- ^ a b c d Siddiqi 2018, p. 11.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
nssdcwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Luna 1 Launch and Trajectory Information". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Harvey 2007a, p. 26.
- ^ a b "Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Cormack 2012, p. 342.