| Луна Космическая Программа Luna Kosmicheskaya Programma | |
 Locations of Luna landings on the Moon are marked in red; Apollo missions in green, and Surveyor in yellow. | |
| Program overview | |
|---|---|
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Purpose | Uncrewed exploration of the Moon |
| Status | Operational |
| Programme history | |
| Duration | 1958–1976 |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight |
|
| Successes | 15 |
| Failures | 28 |
| Partial failures | 1 |
| Launch site(s) | Baikonur Cosmodrome |
| Vehicle information | |
| Launch vehicle(s) | |
The Luna programme (from the Russian word Луна "Luna" meaning "Moon"), occasionally called Lunik by western media,[1] was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. The programme accomplished many firsts in space exploration, including first flyby of the Moon, first impact of the Moon and first photos of the far side of the Moon. Each mission was designed as either an orbiter or lander. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's chemical composition, gravity, temperature, and radiation.
Twenty-four spacecraft were formally given the Luna designation, although more were launched. Those that failed to reach orbit were not publicly acknowledged at the time, and not assigned a Luna number. Those that failed in low Earth orbit were usually given Cosmos designations.[2] The estimated cost of the Luna programme in 1964 was US$6–10 billion[3] (equivalent to US$45–75 billion in 2023[4]). The Luna 25 mission also continues the Luna designation, although it is considered to be a part of the Luna-Glob exploration programme.[5] The same applies to other planned missions such as Luna 26, Luna 27 and Luna 28.
- ^ Amy Shira Teitel (13 April 2017). "How Russia Beat the U.S. to the Moon". Daily Beast. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Planetary Spacecraft – Moon Missions". RussianSpaceWeb.com.
- ^ "Comparison of US and Estimated Soviet Expenditures for Space Programs" (PDF). CIA. August 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017.
- ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Luna-Glob mission lifts off". www.russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.