Luna 2 successfully impacted the Moon's surface making it the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon and the first human-made object to make contact with another celestial body. September 12, 1959 at 06:39 UTC · Launch Successful Vostok-L 8K72 — Soviet Space Program, to Lunar Impactor 1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan The world's 47th orbital launch attempt, and 16th of 1959. Program: Luna Data: Launch Library 2, The Space Devs. Image by Roscosmos (Roscosmos Image Use Policy) via The Space Devs.