Luna 13

Luna 13 successfully soft-landed on the Moon and conducted soil mechanical property tests using a penetrometer and radiation densitometer. It returned panoramic images and data confirming the bearing strength of the lunar surface.

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Agency / Country

Soviet Space Program (Soviet Union)

Mission Status

LANDED

Launch / Target Year

1966

Spacecraft / Type

Luna 13

Landing Site Zone

Luna 13 Landing Site (Oceanus Procellarum)

Surface Coordinates

Lat 18.87°, Lon -62.05°

Mission Imagery & Gallery

Luna 13 photograph 1: Wikimedia Commons — Luna 13 spacecraft model. Landed December 24, 1966, Oceanus Procellarum. (Public domain / Soviet Space Program) — Wikimedia Commons — Luna 13 spacecraft model. Landed December 24, 1966, Oceanus Procellarum. (Public domain / Soviet Space Program)

Primary Achievement

First mechanical soil analysis on the Moon

Mission Objectives

Perform mechanical penetrometer test of lunar soil
Measure radiation density of lunar regolith
Transmit panoramic surface photographs

Timeline Events

1966-12-21 — Launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome
1966-12-24 — Soft landing in Oceanus Procellarum
1966-12-24 — Penetrometer and densitometer deployed
1966-12-28 — Mission ended

Related Missions

Luna 9 (1966) · USSR
Surveyor 1 (1966) · NASA

Historical & Technical Sources

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