While it didn't actually land on the Moon, it was the first spacecraft to:
* Fly past the Moon. It came within 5,995 kilometers (3,720 miles) of the lunar surface.
* Enter lunar orbit. Although it wasn't designed to orbit, it briefly did so before continuing its journey.
It's important to note that the first spacecraft to successfully land on the Moon was Luna 2, also launched by the Soviet Union on September 12, 1959.
