Luna 15
Luna 15 — a Soviet robot sent to return a sample of lunar soil at the same time as Apollo 11 (launched 13 July 1969). After four days in lunar orbit it began its descent on 21 July, while Apollo 11's astronauts were still on the surface, and crashed at about 130 m/s. The crash site is only estimated.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- Lavochkin (USSR)
- Launched
- July 13, 1969
- Status
- Lost
Mission
Luna 15 is remembered for its timing. Launched on 13 July 1969, three days before Apollo 11, it was a Soviet robot built to land, drill up a sample of lunar soil and send it back to Earth — widely seen as a last attempt to bring home a piece of the Moon before the Americans did. Its purpose was not announced, and it caused much speculation at NASA while Apollo 11 flew. After a slow, 103-hour journey — its ascent-stage tank overheated until it was turned away from the Sun — it entered a lunar orbit much higher than planned. Over the next three days controllers lowered it to 16 by 110 km, then postponed the landing for a day because of concerns about the roughness of the landing site. On 21 July, while Armstrong and Aldrin were still on the surface, its retrorockets fired at 15:46:43 UT to begin the descent. At 15:50:40 UT the signal stopped: Luna 15 had struck the Moon at about 130 m/s. Its crash site is only estimated. Robotic sample return succeeded the following year, with Luna 16.
- 1969Luna 15 launches toward the Moon on a Proton rocketLaunch
A sample-return robot sets out three days before Apollo 11.
Its orbit is higher than planned, and three days of corrections follow.
Four minutes after its engine fires it strikes the Moon at about 130 m/s, while Apollo 11's crew is still on the surface.
Images
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