Lunokhod 1

Lunokhod 1

Model of a Soviet Lunokhod program rover
Mission type	Lunar rover
COSPAR ID	1970-095A
Website	Lunar and Planetary Department Moscow University Lunokhod 1 page
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	5,600 kilograms (12,300 lb)
Dry mass	756 kilograms (1,667 lb) (rover only)
Power	180 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	November 10, 1970 (1970-11-10)
Rocket	Proton-K/D
Launch site	Baikonur 81/23
End of mission
Last contact	September 14, 1971 (1971-09-15)
Lunar rover
Spacecraft component	Rover
Landing date	November 17, 1970, 03:47:00 UTC
Landing site	38°14′16″N 35°00′06″W / 38.2378°N 35.0017°W / 38.2378; -35.0017

Lunokhod 1 (Russian: Луноход-1 "Moonwalker 1"), also known as Аппарат 8ЕЛ № 203 ("Device 8EL No. 203") was the first robotic rover on the Moon and the first to freely move across the surface of an astronomical object beyond the Earth.^[1] Sent by the Soviet Union it was part of the robotic rovers Lunokhod program. The Luna 17 spacecraft carried Lunokhod 1 to the Moon in 1970. Lunokhod 0 (No.201), the previous and first attempt to land a rover, launched in February 1969 but failed to reach Earth orbit.

Although only designed for a lifetime of three lunar days (approximately three Earth months), Lunokhod 1 operated on the lunar surface for eleven lunar days (321 Earth days) and traversed a total distance of 10.54 km.^[2]