Beginning with Luna 1’s launch in 1959, the Soviet Luna program set several milestones in space exploration. Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to fly past the Moon, while Luna 2 was the first to impact the lunar surface, and Luna 3 was the first to return images from the farside. While Luna 4 through 8 were less successful, with three crash landings and two complete misses of the Moon, Luna 9 made the first soft landing on the Moon.
Launched March 31, 1966, Luna 10 arrived at the Moon and entered its orbit on April 3, making it the first human-made object in selenocentric orbit. Over the next two months, the satellite made 460 journeys around the Moon and conducted measurements of gamma radiation. It also held 219 radio communications sessions with Earth, even broadcasting music – the communist anthem “The Internationale” – seven times. On May 30, Luna 10’s batteries were fully depleted, and it went silent.
