Launched three days before the Apollo 11 mission, it was the second Soviet attempt to bring lunar soil back to Earth with a goal to outstrip the US in achieving a sample return in the Moon race.

After a mid-course correction the day after launch, Luna 15 entered lunar orbit at 10:00 UT on 17 July 1969.

After completing 86 communications sessions and 52 orbits of the Moon at various inclinations and altitudes, it began its descent.

Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had already set foot on the Moon when Luna 15 fired its main retrorocket engine to initiate descent to the surface at 15:47 UT on 21 July 1969.

[1] An audio recording of the minutes in which British technicians at the radio telescope facility in Jodrell Bank observed Luna 15's descent was first made available to the public on 3 July 2009.