When was the first successful spacecraft launched to the Moon?

Luna 2 was launched by the Soviet Union on 12 September 1959 and struck the Moon the next day, on 13 September 1959. It was the first spacecraft to reach another celestial body and the first human-made object to land on the Moon in the sense of impact. The mission confirmed that a spacecraft could be guided with enough precision to hit a specific target beyond Earth. It was a landmark in the early history of lunar exploration and paved the way for later orbiters, landers, and sample-return missions.