Luna 15
Luna 15 was the Soviet Union’s 1969 robotic lunar orbiter and sample-return attempt. Launched on 1969-07-13, it entered lunar orbit and began a descent intended to collect and return lunar material while Apollo 11 was completing the first crewed lunar landing.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Luna 15Luna-15E-8-5 No. 4011969-058242-01
- Name
- Luna 15
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Luna 15 was the Soviet Union’s 1969 robotic lunar orbiter and sample-return attempt. Launched on 1969-07-13, it entered lunar orbit and began a descent intended to collect and return lunar material while Apollo 11 was completing the first crewed lunar landing.
- Destination
- Lunar orbit followed by an attempted sample-return descent into Mare Crisium at approximately 17°N, 60°E; spacecraft impact ended the mission before samples were collected
- End Date
- 1969-07-21
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Luna 15 completed its lunar-orbit operations but crashed during its sample-return descent on 1969-07-21; the orbiter phase succeeded while the automated sample return did not.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1969-07-13
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/moon/missions/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 15, 2026 at 07:19:04 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 23, 2026 at 00:36:26 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles