The
Luna programme (from the Russian word Луна "Luna" meaning "Moon"), occasionally called
Lunik or
Lunnik by western media, was a series of
robotic spacecraft missions sent to the
Moon by the
Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. Fifteen were successful, each designed as either an
orbiter or
lander, and accomplished many firsts in space exploration. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's
chemical composition,
gravity,
temperature, and
radiation.