Luna 17
First robotic rover deployed on the Moon.
Luna 17, part of the Soviet Luna program (also known as Lunik 17), was an uncrewed mission that placed the first robotic rover on the Moon. Launched from Baikonur on 10 November 1970 atop a Proton K rocket, the spacecraft first entered Earth parking orbit before its upper stage fired for trans-lunar injection. After two course corrections, Luna 17 entered lunar orbit on 15 November and made a soft landing in Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Rains) two days later, at 03:46:50 UT on 17 November 1970, at coordinates 38°17' north latitude and 35° west longitude—about 2,500 kilometers from the Luna 16 site.
The lander carried dual ramps for deploying its payload, Lunokhod 1. This rover was a tub-like compartment with a large convex lid, riding on eight independently powered wheels. It stood about 1.35 meters high, measured 2.15 meters across, and weighed 756 kilograms. Each wheel could be controlled independently, offering two forward and two reverse speeds; the rover’s top speed was roughly 100 meters per hour (0.062 mph), directed by a five-person Earth-based team contending with a five-second signal delay. Power came from solar cells on the top (upper surface) of the hinged lid, supplemented by chemical batteries. Its instruments included a cone-shaped antenna, a highly directional helical antenna, four teleray spectrometers, an X-ray telescope, cosmic-ray detectors, and a laser retroreflector supplied by France.
Lunokhod 1 rolled down the ramps onto the lunar surface at 06:28 UT on 17 November. Designed to operate for three lunar days, it actually functioned for eleven lunar days (eleven Earth months). Over 322 Earth days of operation, it traveled 10.54 kilometers (about 7 miles), returning more than 20,000 TV images and 206 high-resolution panoramas. It performed 25 soil analyses with its RIFMA X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and used its penetrometer at 500 locations. The last communications session ended at 13:05 UT on 14 September 1971; attempts to reestablish contact ceased on 4 October 1971, the anniversary of Sputnik 1.
Luna 17 continued a string of Soviet lunar successes following Luna 16 and Zond 8. The Lunokhod 1 rover was the first in a series of robotic lunar rovers, a concept that began in the early 1960s as part of planned piloted lunar landings. This was the second attempt to land such a vehicle, after a failure in February 1969. In March 2010, the
- launch_date
- 10 November 1970
- landing_date
- 17 November 1970
- mission_type
- Uncrewed lunar lander and rover deployment
- operator
- Soviet space program
- payload
- Lunokhod 1 rover
- landing_site
- Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains), 38°17' N, 35° W
Lore & Background
Luna 17 was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome on 10 November 1970 atop a Proton K launch vehicle. After reaching a parking orbit around Earth, the upper stage sent the spacecraft on a trans-lunar injection. It entered lunar orbit on 15 November and softly landed in Mare Imbrium on 17 November 1970 at 03:46:50 UT. The descent stage carried dual ramps, from which the Lunokhod 1 rover descended to the lunar surface at 06:28 UT.
Reader's Guide
Luna 17 continued the spate of successes in Soviet lunar exploration begun by Luna 16 and Zond 8. It carried Lunokhod 1, the first in a series of robot lunar roving vehicles whose conception had begun in the early 1960s, originally as part of piloted lunar landing operations. This was the second attempt to land such a vehicle on the Moon after a failure in February 1969. The rover operated for eleven lunar days (eleven Earth months), far exceeding its intended three lunar days, traveling over 10.5 kilometers while returning more than 20,000 TV images and 206 high-resolution panoramas. It performed 25 soil analyses and used its penetrometer at 500 locations. Operations officially ceased on 4 October 1971. In March 2010, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the landing site, and in April 2010, the Apache Point Observatory team located the rover and received returns from its laser retroreflector.
Did You Know?
- Luna 17 deployed the first robotic rover, Lunokhod 1, onto the lunar surface.
- The rover operated for eleven lunar days (eleven Earth months) instead of the intended three.
- Lunokhod 1 traveled over 10.5 kilometers and returned more than 20,000 TV images.
- In April 2010, the Apache Point Observatory team found the long-lost rover using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photos and received laser returns from its retroreflector.
More in Successful space missions 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record