After 10 consecutive failures, successes arrive: Luna 9 and 13. Luna 9, designed by Lavochkin, launches on January 31, 1966. Two days later, it reaches the Moon, its impact cushioned by its two airbags. The 100-kg capsule stops, four petals open, and four long minutes later it begins transmitting to Earth. It is the first lunar soft landing mission to transmit directly to Earth! Images of the Ocean of Storms (a “fax” signal) are also captured by the antenna at Jodrell Bank in Manchester, which publishes the images… before the Russians. Luna 13, with an extendable arm designed by Kemurzhian, follows in December 1966.
