# Luna 9

> lander in the Soviet Union's Luna programme

**Wikidata**: [Q1159933](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1159933)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_9)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/luna-9

## Summary
Luna 9 was a lunar lander and spacecraft part of the Soviet Union's Luna programme, specifically the E-6 lunar program. Manufactured by NPO Lavochkin, it was launched on January 31, 1966, and successfully landed on the Moon on February 3, 1966. It is recorded as the first spacecraft to achieve a survivable landing on the lunar surface.

## Key Facts
- **Classification**: Lunar lander (spacecraft intended to land on the surface of the Moon).
- **Launch Date**: January 31, 1966, at 11:41:37.
- **Landing Date**: February 3, 1966.
- **Landing Location**: Oceanus Procellarum (Moon).
- **Manufacturer**: NPO Lavochkin.
- **Mass**: 1,583.71 kilograms.
- **Launch Vehicle**: Molniya-M (also cited as Molniya class).
- **Launch Site**: Baikonur Cosmodrome (Site 31).
- **Program Sequence**: Follows Luna 8; followed by Luna 10.
- **Identifiers**: COSPAR ID 1966-006A; NSSDCA ID 1966-006A.

## FAQs
### Q: When did Luna 9 land on the Moon?
A: Luna 9 successfully landed on the Moon on February 3, 1966. It was launched just days earlier on January 31, 1966.

### Q: Where did Luna 9 land?
A: The spacecraft landed in the Oceanus Procellarum, a vast lunar mare (basaltic plain) on the Moon.

### Q: What rocket was used to launch Luna 9?
A: Luna 9 was launched using a Molniya-M rocket (a Soviet space launcher) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31.

### Q: Who manufactured Luna 9?
A: The spacecraft was manufactured by NPO Lavochkin, a major Soviet spacecraft design bureau.

## Why It Matters
Luna 9 holds a pivotal place in space exploration history as a landmark achievement for the Soviet Union's Luna programme. By successfully touching down in the Oceanus Procellarum on February 3, 1966, the mission demonstrated that a spacecraft could survive a landing on the lunar surface, dispelling fears that the Moon was covered in a thick layer of dust that would swallow any lander.

Weighing 1,583.71 kg at launch, the probe's successful mission provided critical engineering data for future lunar exploration. It paved the way for subsequent missions in the Luna series and remains a key milestone in the Space Race, marking the transition from lunar flybys and impacts to controlled surface operations.

## Notable For
- **First Survivable Lunar Landing**: Cited in external descriptions as the "First Moon Landing," distinguishing it from previous impactor missions.
- **E-6 Program Success**: It was a successful product of the E-6 lunar program designed for soft landings.
- **Predecessor to Orbital Missions**: It occurred between Luna 8 (failed lander) and Luna 10 (first lunar orbiter), highlighting a rapid succession of Soviet lunar achievements.
- **Heavy Payload**: With a mass of over 1.5 tons, it represented a significant engineering capability for its time.

## Body

### Mission Profile
Luna 9, designated internally as Ye-6 No. 13, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31 on January 31, 1966. The launch utilized a Molniya-M rocket, a Soviet space launcher commonly used for lunar and planetary missions. The mission's primary objective was to achieve a soft landing on the Moon and transmit data back to Earth.

### Landing and Operations
On February 3, 1966, Luna 9 successfully landed in the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon. This event marked the first time a human-made object survived a landing on another celestial body and transmitted photographic and scientific data back to Earth.

### Technical Specifications
The spacecraft had a total mass of 1,583.71 kilograms. It was designed as a lunar lander, equipped to withstand the harsh conditions of the lunar surface. The mission is documented under the COSPAR ID 1966-006A and NSSDCA ID 1966-006A.

### Program Context
Luna 9 was part of the larger Soviet Luna programme. It succeeded Luna 8, which failed to achieve a soft landing, and preceded Luna 10, which became the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon.

## Schema Markup
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  "name": "Luna 9",
  "description": "A lunar lander in the Soviet Union's Luna programme that achieved the first survivable landing on the Moon in 1966.",
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## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013