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Luna 22 was a lunar orbiter mission. The spacecraft carried imaging cameras and also had the
objectives of studying the Moon's magnetic field, surface gamma ray emissions and composition of
lunar surface rocks, and the gravitational field, as well as micrometeorites and cosmic rays. Luna 22
was launched into Earth parking orbit and then to the moon. It was inserted into a circular lunar
orbit on 2 June 1974. The spacecraft made many orbit adjustments over its 18 month lifetime in order
to optimize the operation of various experiments, lowering the perilune to as little as 25 km.
Manuevering fuel was exhausted on 2 September and the mission was ended in early November.
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