Luna 2 became the first human-made object to reach another celestial body when it impacted the Moon in 1959.
The Soviet spacecraft launched on 12 September 1959 and struck the lunar surface on 14 September. Its impact site was near the lunar region later called Palus Putredinis. Luna 2 carried instruments that detected the solar wind and helped confirm that the Moon had no substantial global magnetic field.
The mission was a major Soviet achievement because it demonstrated accurate space navigation beyond Earth orbit. It also carried small pennants bearing Soviet symbols, which were scattered by the impact.
Luna 1 is often confused with Luna 2. Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to escape Earth’s gravity and pass near the Moon, but it missed the lunar surface. Luna 3 followed Luna 2 and returned the first photographs of the Moon’s far side.