Moving Forward

Early Successes

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The Soviet Union accomplished great things in space, from launching the first satellite, taking the first pictures of the far side of the Moon, sending the first person into space and orbit, and much more. However, these successes did not translate into a successful lunar mission.

Lunar Failures

Much like the United States, the early Soviet space program was intertwined with military research. However, the Soviet space program’s inability to unshackle itself from the military industrial complex, along with the fractured nature of the Design Bureaus, ultimately prevented it from achieving a focused objective in space. This, combined with indecisive political leadership, prevented the Soviet Union from carrying out a successful lunar mission.