In the midst of the Space Race – a little over a year since Sputnik's launch – the Soviet Union scored another win when Luna 1 took off for the Moon. On Jan. 2, 1959, the spacecraft launched, ...

Beginning with Luna 1's launch in 1959, the Soviet Luna program set several milestones in space exploration. Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to fly past the Moon, while Luna 2 was the first to impact ...