Astronomers believe they may have finally located the resting place of Soviet Spacecraft Luna 9, a historic probe that vanished after its groundbreaking Moon landing in 1966.
The potential discovery, driven by modern artificial intelligence and high-resolution lunar imaging, could close a decades-old mystery surrounding one of humanity’s most important early space missions.
The discovery in the npj Space Exploration journal, which focuses on publishing quality research related to space exploration, covering various technological and scientific discoveries.
Soviet Spacecraft Luna 9: A Historic First on the Moon
The Soviet Spacecraft Luna 9 was launched on January 31, 1966, aboard a Molniya-M rocket by the former Soviet Union. Just days later, on February 3, it achieved a milestone that changed space exploration forever—it became the first mission to make a soft landing on another celestial body.
