Luna 1, launched January 2, 1959, was the first probe to leave Earth's gravity and travel to our nearest neighbor, the moon. Initially, it was intended to impact the lunar surface but due to an incorrectly timed upper stage burn during launch, it missed the moon by almost 6000 km (3725 mi) two days later.
It still managed to collect some vital information.
It is now in a heliocentric orbit between Earth and Mars.
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