Luna 2, first spacecraft to Moon’s surface, launched 48 years ago

On September 13, 1959 (September 12, Moscow time, at 06:39:42 UTC), the Soviet Union’s Luna 2 was launched to the Moon. Thirty-three-and-one-half hours later, it impacted the Moon, the first spacecraft to reach the lunar surface.
Luna 2, first spacecraft to Moon’s surface, launched 48 years ago