Mission Atlas
← Mission directory

Mission record

Luna 16

Also known as Lunik 16, Luna16

U.S.S.R · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

The first robotic mission to return a sample from the Moon, drilling into Mare Fecunditatis and delivering the material to Earth.

Destinations
Moon
Launch vehicle
Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
Launch site
Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Countries
Soviet Union
Mission types
Lander, Sample return

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Luna 16 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome

  2. Milestone

    Luna 16 made a mid-course correction

  3. Orbit insertion

    Luna 16 entered a circular 111 km lunar orbit

    Moon

  4. Landing

    Luna 16 soft landed in Mare Foecunditatis

    The page records the braking engine firing on 20 September and the landing at 05:18 UT.

    Moon

  5. Departure

    The ascent stage lifted off carrying 101 grams of collected material

    Moon

  6. Sample return

    The capsule landed in Kazakhstan with the lunar sample

    Earth

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Luna 16 · Lander

    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 27, 2026