Luna 12

Overview

Luna 12 launched toward the Moon on a Molniya-M rocket and entered lunar orbit on October 25, 1966. Its television system captured and transmitted images of the lunar surface, each containing 1,100 scan lines with a maximum resolution between 14.9 and 19.8 meters. The first pictures were sent back on October 27, 1966, though the total number of photographs taken is unknown. The Soviet press released initial images on October 29, showing the Sea of Rains and Aristarchus crater, with resolution up to 15 to 20 meters.

Onboard, film was automatically developed, fixed, dried, and scanned for transmission. No additional photos were ever made public. After completing its primary imaging task, the spacecraft was placed into a spin-stabilized roll to fulfill its scientific objectives, which it did successfully. Radio signals from Luna 12 ended on January 19, 1967, after 602 lunar orbits and 302 radio transmissions.

It was the first Soviet probe designed to prevent signal interception by Jodrell Bank Observatory; when within the observatory’s view, it switched between two frequencies, a pattern the observatory could not track.