On this day in space! Aug. 9, 1976: Soviet Luna 24 sample return probe launches to the moon
On Aug. 9, 1976, the Soviet space program launched its last moon mission. Luna 24 was a robotic sample return mission and the third of its kind.
On August 9, 1976, the Soviet space program launched its final lunar mission, Luna 24, marking the conclusion of their robotic sample return program. The spacecraft embarked on a journey aboard a Proton-K rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, reaching the moon nine days later. Luna 24 touched down in the moon's Mare Crisium, or Sea of Crises, gathering 6 ounces (170.1 grams) of lunar soil samples.
These samples were successfully returned to Earth on August 22, 1976, containing minute traces of water, approximately 0.1% by mass. This marked the final successful Soviet moon sample return mission, although Russia launched the Luna 25 mission in August 2023 to explore the lunar south pole, which unfortunately crashed into the moon due to an orbital maneuver error.
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