Mission record
Luna 3
Also known as Lunik 3, Automatic Interplanetary Station, E-2A
U.S.S.R · Launched
Explore trajectoryCompleted · Success
The first spacecraft to photograph the far side of the Moon, returning images that had never been seen from Earth.
- Destinations
- Moon
- Launch vehicle
- Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 1st Generation Upper Stage
- Launch site
- Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
- Countries
- Soviet Union
- Mission types
- Flyby
Chronology
Mission timeline
Mission architecture
Vehicles
Luna 3 · 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 23, 2026
- Luna 3 - NASA NSSDCA Spacecraft Details — NSSDCAArchive · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Moon Facts — NASAOther · Supports: destination/body context
- Planet Sizes and Locations in Our Solar System — NASAOther · Supports: destination/body context