The Soviet Lunokhod 1 rover went silent on the Moon in 1971, then scientists found its lost reflector in 2010 and got a signal bright enough to reopen a forgotten corner of lunar science

The Soviet Lunokhod 1 rover sat abandoned on the Moon for nearly 40 years after its mission ended in 1971, and when scientists finally located it again with laser ranging in 2010 its retroreflector still worked perfectly, returning a brighter signal than any of the Apollo arrays despite four decades of micrometeorite dust.

The Soviet Lunokhod 1 rover went silent in 1971 and its retroreflector was considered a lost target for nearly four decades. When laser ranging teams finally located it in 2010, the French-built reflector was returning brighter signals than any of the Apollo arrays.

Space Daily