 |
| A Luna 15 launch cover postmarked at Tartu with a hand cancel on July 14, 1969, one day after the spacecraft’s launch. |
Luna 15 was a Soviet robotic lunar mission launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 13, 1969, just three days before the launch of Apollo 11. Its principal objective was to make a soft landing on the Moon, collect lunar soil, and return the sample to Earth—the Soviet Union's first attempt at an automated lunar sample-return mission. After a mid-course correction, it entered lunar orbit on July 17, four days after launch. The spacecraft spent several days conducting observations and orbital maneuvers while Soviet controllers prepared for the descent.
The timing was particularly notable because Luna 15 was operating around the Moon at the same time as Apollo 11. NASA initially had concerns about whether the Soviet spacecraft might interfere with Apollo 11, but those concerns were eased after the Soviets provided NASA with Luna 15's planned trajectory through diplomatic and scientific contacts.
 |
| Photo: A composite picture chart shows the location of Russia's Luna 15 impact on the Moon. Its touchdown occurred in the Sea of Crises, approximately 500 miles from where the U.S. Apollo 11 crew landed. |
On July 21, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were conducting their historic first Moonwalk, Luna 15 began its descent toward the lunar surface. The spacecraft had completed 52 orbits of the Moon before beginning its landing sequence. At approximately 15:47 UT, Luna 15 fired its main engine to begin the descent. However, communications with the spacecraft ceased about four minutes later, when it was at an altitude of roughly 3 kilometers. Luna 15 crashed into the lunar surface in Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises) at approximately 15:51 UT. Its impact location was around 17° N, 60° E. The failure occurred only a few hours before Apollo 11's Eagle ascent stage lifted off from the Moon, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin back toward lunar orbit.
