Luna 1

Luna 1

A museum replica
Mission type	Lunar impactor[1]
Operator	Soviet space program
Harvard designation	1959 Mu 1
COSPAR ID	1959-012A[2]
SATCAT no.	00112[2]
Mission duration	Approximately 62 hours[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Ye-1
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	361.3 kilograms (797 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	2 January 1959, 16:41:21 (1959-01-02UTC16:41:21Z) UTC[1]
Rocket	Luna 8K72
Launch site	Baikonur, Site 1/5
End of mission
Last contact	5 January 1959
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Heliocentric
Semi-major axis	1.146 AU
Eccentricity	0.14767
Perihelion altitude	0.9766 AU
Aphelion altitude	1.315 AU
Inclination	0.01°
Period	450 days
Epoch	1 January 1959, 19:00:00 GMT[3]
Lunar flyby (failed impact)
Closest approach	4 January 1959
Distance	5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi)
Luna programme ← Luna 1958C Luna 1959A →

Luna 1, also known as Mechta (Russian: Мечта [mʲɪt͡ɕˈta], lit.: Dream), E-1 No.4 and First Lunar Rover,^[4] was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of Earth's Moon, the first spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit, and the first to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as a Moon impactor, Luna 1 was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme in 1959.

A malfunction in the ground-based control system caused an error in the upper stage rocket's burn time, and the spacecraft missed the Moon by 5,900 km (more than three times the Moon's radius). Luna 1 became the first human-made object to reach heliocentric orbit and was dubbed "Artificial Planet 1"^[5] and renamed Mechta (Dream).^[6] Luna 1 was also referred to as the "First Cosmic Ship",^[5] in reference to its achievement of Earth escape velocity.