After landing, the Lunokhod 2 took TV images of the surrounding
area, then rolled down a ramp to the surface at 01:14 UT on 16
January and took pictures of the Luna 21 lander and landing
site. It stopped and charged batteries until 18 January, took
more images of the lander and landing site, and then set out
over the Moon. The rover would run during the lunar day,
stopping occasionally to recharge its batteries via the solar
panels. At night the rover would hibernate until the next
sunrise, heated by a radioactive source. Lunokhod 2 operated
for about 4 months, covered 37 km of terrain including hilly
upland areas and rilles, and sent back 86 panoramic images
and over 80,000 TV pictures. Many mechanical tests of the
surface, laser ranging measurements, and other experiments
were completed during this time. On June 4 it was announced
that the program was completed, leading to speculation that
the vehicle could probably not be revived after the lunar night
of May-June. 


Launch Information:
Launch Date/Time: 1973-01-08 at 06:55:00 UTC
Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome),
                                U.S.S.R.
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and
                        Escape Stages
On-orbit dry mass: 4850.00 kg 

Orbital Information:
Orbit: Orbiter
Central Body: Moon
Epoch start date/time: 1973.012:00:00:00 (12 Jan.)