Best Firsts

The Luna 9 mission represents a significant achievement in early space exploration. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1966, it successfully executed the first controlled soft landing on the Moon's surface. This lander transmitted the first photographs from the lunar surface, marking a crucial step tow...

The Luna 2 mission, launched by the Soviet Union in 1959, represents a pivotal moment in space exploration. It achieved the historic feat of being the first spacecraft to intentionally impact another celestial body – the Moon. This unmanned probe demonstrated the capability for interplanetary travel...

The Venera 7 mission represents a pivotal achievement in space exploration. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1970, it achieved the first soft landing on Venus. The lander transmitted valuable data about the planet’s atmosphere and surface conditions before its eventual failure. This pioneering work p...

The Mariner 2 spacecraft represents a pivotal moment in space exploration. Launched by NASA in 1962, it achieved the first successful flyby of Venus. This mission provided crucial data about the planet’s atmosphere, including confirmation of its extreme surface temperatures and evidence of volcanic...

Surveyor 1 was a NASA lunar lander that soft-landed in 1966, proving landing techniques needed before Apollo crewed missions.

Shenzhou 5 was China's 2003 first crewed spaceflight, carrying Yang Liwei and making China the third country to launch a human independently.

Luna 10 was a Soviet spacecraft that entered lunar orbit in 1966, becoming the first artificial satellite of the Moon and returning radiation data.

Luna 1 was a Soviet probe launched in 1959 that became the first spacecraft to escape Earth gravity and fly past the Moon.

Salyut 1 was the Soviet Union's 1971 orbital station, notable as the world's first space station and the target of the fatal Soyuz 11 mission.

Voskhod 1 was a Soviet 1964 mission, notable as the first spaceflight with more than one person aboard, carrying a three-member crew.