CIA File of the Day
LUNIK II OPERATION
An NSC briefing dated 15 September 1959 on the Lunik II operation. It reports that the Soviet moon probe Lunik II was launched at 0240 EDT on 12 September, after a smooth countdown, and that this operation followed three abortive attempts with the same vehicle on 6, 8, and 9 September. U.S. ELINT (telemetry) and RADINT facilities confirmed the vehicle in the air after launch.
Courtesy of the CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room. Official page: CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room. Document PDF: cia.gov reading room PDF. Copy: Internet Archive.