1972-02-14 USSR Luna 20

A Luna 20 launch cover postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on February 14, 1972.

Luna 20 was a Soviet robotic lunar sample-return mission, launched on February 14, 1972 from Baikonur aboard a Proton-K/Block D rocket. Its objective was to land on the Moon, collect lunar material, and return it safely to Earth. It was the Soviet Union's second successful lunar sample-return mission, following Luna 16 in 1970.

Luna 20 entered lunar orbit on February 18, 1972. On February 21, it made a soft landing in the Apollonius Highlands, in the rugged highland region between Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility) and Mare Crisium. The landing site was about 120 km from Luna 16's landing site.

A Luna 20 moon landing cover postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on February 21, 1972.

Luna 20 used a drilling mechanism mounted on a sampling arm to collect material beneath the lunar surface. The drill penetrated roughly a quarter of a metre. The spacecraft also operated a panoramic television system, providing views of the landing site and its sampling operations.

On February 22, 1972, the spacecraft's ascent stage lifted off from the Moon carrying the lunar sample in a sealed return capsule. The capsule returned to Earth on February 25, landing in the Soviet Union. The mission brought back approximately 55 grams of lunar material.