On April 3, 1966, the Soviet Union's Luna 10 became the first to successfully orbit the moon. Launched on March 31, 1966 and arrived the Moon on April 2, 1966, Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to successfully go into orbit around another celestial body. While in orbit, Luna 10 studied radiation levels, cosmic ray intensities, and took readings of the Moon's weak magnetic field. The spacecraft successfully transmitted data for two months, circling the Moon 460 times before its mission came to an end on May 30, 1966.
