Lunokhod 1 lunar rover, artwork. The Earth is at upper left. This lunar rover was the first of two unmanned moon vehicles landed by the USSR as part of the Lunokhod program. It was landed on the Moon on 17 November 1970 by the Luna 17 spacecraft. The rover was controlled and moved on the Moon's surface by technicians on Earth. It collected readings of soil density and mechanical properties. Although it was only designed to last for 3 lunar days, it actually continued transmitting data until 14 September 1971, and the mission only officially ended on 4 October after 11 lunar days (322 Earth days).