Luna 20 was the second of three successful Soviet lunar sample return missions. It was flown as part of the Luna program as a robotic competitor to the six successful Apollo lunar sample return missions.
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![]() Luna 20 | |
Mission type | Lunar sample return |
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COSPAR ID | 1972-007A ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 5835 |
Mission duration | 11 days (day of launch to day of landing) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | Ye-8-5 |
Manufacturer | GSMZ Lavochkin |
Launch mass | 5,727 kilograms (12,626 lb) |
Dry mass | 5,600 kilograms (12,300 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 14 February 1972, 03:27:59 (1972-02-14UTC03:27:59Z) UTC |
Rocket | Proton-K/D |
Launch site | Baikonur 81/24 |
End of mission | |
Landing date | 25 February 1972, 19:19 (1972-02-25UTC19:20Z) UTC |
Landing site | 47°24′N 68°36′E,[1] 40 km north of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Selenocentric |
Semi-major axis | 6,477.8 kilometres (4,025.1 mi) |
Eccentricity | 0.0 |
Periselene altitude | 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
Aposelene altitude | 100 kilometres (62 mi) |
Inclination | 65 degrees |
Period | 119 minutes |
Lunar orbiter | |
Orbits | ~36 |
Lunar lander | |
Landing date | 21 February 1972, 19:19 UTC |
Return launch | 22 February 1972, 22:58 UTC |
Landing site | 3.7863°N 56.6242°E / 3.7863; 56.6242[2] |
Sample mass | 55 grams |
Luna 20 was placed in an intermediate Earth parking orbit and from this orbit was sent towards the Moon. It entered lunar orbit on 18 February 1972. On 21 February 1972, Luna 20 soft landed on the Moon in a mountainous area known as the Terra Apollonius (or Apollonius highlands) near Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility), 120 km from where Luna 16 had landed. While on the lunar surface, the panoramic television system was operated. Lunar samples were obtained by means of an extendable drilling apparatus. The ascent stage of Luna 20 was launched from the lunar surface on 22 February 1972 carrying 1.9 ounces (55 grams) of collected lunar samples in a sealed capsule.[3] It landed in the Soviet Union on 25 February 1972. The lunar samples were recovered the following day.
This was the eighth Soviet spacecraft launched with the intent of returning lunar soil to Earth. It was evidently sent to complete the mission that Luna 18 had failed to accomplish. After a 4.5-day flight to the Moon, which included a single midcourse correction on 15 February, Luna 20 entered orbit around the Moon on 18 February. Initial orbital parameters were 100 x 100 kilometers at 65° inclination.
Three days later, at 19:13 UT, the spacecraft fired its main engine for 267 seconds to begin descent to the lunar surface. A second firing further reduced velocity before Luna 20 set down safely on the Moon at 19:19 UT on 21 February 1972 at coordinates 3.7863 North and 56.6242 East,[2] only 1.8 kilometers from the crash site of Luna 18.
After collecting a small sample of lunar soil, the spacecraft's ascent stage lifted off at 22:58 UT on 22 February and quickly accelerated to 2.7 kilometers per second velocity—sufficient to return to Earth. The small spherical capsule eventually parachuted down safely on an island in the Karkingir River, 40 kilometers north of the town of Jezkazgan in Kazakhstan, at 19:19 UT on 25 February 1972.
The 55-gram soil sample differed from that collected by Luna 16 in that the majority (50 to 60%) of the rock particles in the newer sample were ancient lunar highlands anorthosite (which consists largely of feldspar) rather than the basalt of the earlier one (which contained about 1 to 2% of anorthosite).[4] The American Apollo 16 mission returned similar highlands material two months later.
Like the Luna 16 soil, samples of the Luna 20 collection were shared with American and French scientists. A 0.4983g sample of material from a depth of 27and 32 cm was sent to Britain.[5]
Lunar Mission | Sample Returned | Year |
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Luna 16 | 101 g[6] | 1970 |
Luna 20 | 30 g[6] | 1972 |
Luna 24 | 170.1 g[6] | 1976 |
In March 2010, NASA reported that its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite had spotted Luna 20 on the lunar surface.[7][8]
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← 1971 · Orbital launches in 1972 · 1973 → | |
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Kosmos 471 | OPS 1737 · OPS 7719 | Intelsat IV F-4 | Kosmos 472 | HEOS-2 | Kosmos 473 | Luna 20 | Kosmos 474 | OPS 1844 | Kosmos 475 | OPS 1570 | Kosmos 476 | Pioneer 10 | Kosmos 477 · Nauka-14KS No.1 | TD-1A | Kosmos 478 | OPS 1678 | Kosmos 479 | OPS 5058 | Kosmos 480 | Kosmos 481 | Venera 8 | Meteor-MV No.23 | Kosmos 482 | Kosmos 483 | Molniya-1 No.27 · SRET-1 | Kosmos 484 · Nauka-5KS No.3 | Interkosmos 6 | Kosmos 485 | Prognoz 1 | Kosmos 486 | Apollo 16 (PFS-2) | OPS 5640 | Kosmos 487 | DS-P1-Yu No. 51 | Kosmos 488 | Kosmos 489 | Kosmos 490 · Nauka-1KS No.5 | Molniya-2-2 | OPS 6574 | Kosmos 491 | OPS 6371 | Kosmos 492 | Intelsat IV F-5 | Kosmos 493 | Kosmos 494 | Kosmos 495 | Kosmos 496 | Prognoz 2 | Interkosmos 7 | Kosmos 497 | Meteor-MV No.26 | Kosmos 498 | Kosmos 499 | OPS 7293 · OPS 7803 | Kosmos 500 | Kosmos 501 | Kosmos 502 | Kosmos 503 | Kosmos 504 · Kosmos 505 · Kosmos 506 · Kosmos 507 · Kosmos 508 · Kosmos 509 · Kosmos 510 · Kosmos 511 | ERTS-1 | Kosmos 512 | DOS No.122 | Kosmos 513 | Explorer 46 | Kosmos 514 | Kosmos 515 | Denpa | Copernicus | Kosmos 516 | Kosmos 517 | OPS 8888 | Unnamed | Triad 1 | Kosmos 518 | Kosmos 519 | Kosmos 520 | Explorer 47 | Kosmos 521 | Molniya-2-3 | Radcat 2 · Radsat | Kosmos 522 | Kosmos 523 | OPS 8314 · OPS 8314/2 | Kosmos 524 | Molniya-1 No.26 | NOAA-2 · OSCAR-6 | Unnamed | Kosmos 525 · Nauka-16KS No.1L | Kosmos 526 | Meteor-M No.25 | Kosmos 527 | Kosmos 528 · Kosmos 529 · Kosmos 530 · Kosmos 531 · Kosmos 532 · Kosmos 533 · Kosmos 534 · Kosmos 535 | Kosmos 536 | OPS 7323 | Anik A1 | Explorer 48 | ESRO-4 | Unnamed | Kosmos 537 | Interkosmos 8 | Molniya-1 No.28 | Apollo 17 | Nimbus 5 | Molniya-2-4 | Kosmos 538 | Aeros 1 | OPS 9390 | Kosmos 539 | OPS 3978 | Kosmos 540 | Kosmos 541 | Kosmos 542 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |