When was the first human-made object sent past the Moon?

The Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 launched on 2 January 1959 and missed the Moon by about 6,000 kilometers. Even though it did not hit its target, it became the first human-made object to reach solar orbit after leaving Earth’s gravitational pull. The mission was an important early milestone in deep-space exploration and demonstrated that spacecraft could travel beyond Earth-Moon space. It also helped refine tracking, guidance, and communications for later lunar missions.