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| A Luna 19 launch cover postmarked at Tartu with a hand cancel on September 29, 1971, one day after the spacecraft’s launch. |
Luna 19 was a Soviet unmanned lunar-orbiter mission and an important step in the USSR’s systematic exploration of the Moon from orbit. It was launched from Baikonur on September 28, 1971, aboard a Proton-K/Block D rocket and was based on the Luna-17 spacecraft, which had been designed to carry a Lunokhod rover.
Luna 19 entered lunar orbit on October 3 and conducted an extended study of the Moon, investigating its surface, gravitational field, magnetic environment, radiation, and solar wind. The spacecraft also captured five panoramic views using two cameras as it passed over the lunar surface. However, relatively few Luna 19 images were published, with one of the most notable being a photograph of a lunar crater.
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| Photo: Images of the Moon captured by Luna-19. |
