Mission Summary
Luna 14 was a quiet but important step in the Soviet push toward a crewed Moon landing, flying the communications and tracking tests that an earlier launch failure had left unfinished. Launched April 7, 1968, it entered lunar orbit three days later in support of the N1-L3 piloted landing program.
From orbit it tested the communication links that future crewed vehicles would rely on, while precise tracking of its path let engineers map the Moon’s gravitational anomalies and refine the trajectories planned for the LOK and LK landing craft.
Luna 14 also carried hardware for the future Lunokhod rover, testing gears, bearings, and a drive shaft in the lunar environment. Planned for 30 days, the mission ran for 75 and met all its goals, helping engineers settle the final design of the rover’s chassis.
Sources and notes can be found on the Sources page.
