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Mission record

Luna 12

Also known as Lunik 12, Luna12

U.S.S.R · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

A Soviet lunar orbiting spacecraft, virtually identical to Luna 11 except for a redesigned propulsion system, that operated in lunar orbit for 3 months and returned images and scientific data over 602 lunar orbits.

Destinations
Moon
Launch vehicle
Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage
Launch site
Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Countries
Soviet Union
Mission types
Orbiter

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Luna 12 launched

    Earth

  2. Orbit insertion

    Luna 12 achieved lunar orbit

    Moon

  3. Milestone

    Luna 12 imaging system returned high-resolution and panoramic images

    Moon

  4. Loss of contact

    Radio transmissions from Luna 12 ceased

    Moon

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Luna 12 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Moon

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

No verified trajectory dataset is committed for this mission, so Mission Atlas renders no path.

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through August 24, 2026