Early Soviet Unmanned Lunar Missions (1958–1966)
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 historical records were released to allow the true accounting of Soviet lunar efforts. Unlike the American tradition of assigning a particular mission name in advance of launch, the Soviets assigned a public "Luna" mission number only if a launch resulted in a spacecraft going beyond Earth orbit. The policy had the effect of hiding Soviet Moon picture failures from public view. If the attempt failed in Earth orbit before departing for the Moon, it was frequently (but not always) given a "Sputnik" or "Cosmos" earth-orbit mission number to hide its purpose. Launch explosions were not acknowledged at all.
| U.S.S.R. mission | Mass (kg) | Launch vehicle | Launched | Mission goal | Mission result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semyorka – 8K72 | 23 September 1958 | Lunar Impact | Failure – booster malfunction at T+ 93 s | ||
| Semyorka – 8K72 | 12 October 1958 | Lunar Impact | Failure – booster malfunction at T+ 104 s | ||
| Semyorka – 8K72 | 4 December 1958 | Lunar Impact | Failure – booster malfunction at T+ 254 s | ||
| Luna-1 | 361 | Semyorka – 8K72 | 2 January 1959 | Lunar Impact | Partial success – first spacecraft to reach escape velocity, lunar flyby, solar orbit; Missed the Moon |
| Semyorka – 8K72 | 18 June 1959 | Lunar Impact | Failure – booster malfunction at T+ 153 s | ||
| Luna-2 | 390 | Semyorka – 8K72 | 12 September 1959 | Lunar Impact | Success – first lunar impact |
| Luna-3 | 270 | Semyorka – 8K72 | 4 October 1959 | Lunar Flyby | Success – first photos of lunar far side |
| Semyorka – 8K72 | 15 April 1960 | Lunar Flyby | Failure – booster malfunction, failed to reach Earth orbit | ||
| Semyorka – 8K72 | 16 April 1960 | Lunar Flyby | Failure – booster malfunction at T+ 1 s | ||
| Sputnik-25 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 4 January 1963 | Moon landing | Failure – stranded in low Earth orbit | |
| Semyorka – 8K78 | 3 February 1963 | Moon landing | Failure – booster malfunction at T+ 105 s | ||
| Luna-4 | 1422 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 2 April 1963 | Moon landing | Failure – lunar flyby at 5,000 miles (8,000 km) |
| Semyorka – 8K78 | 21 March 1964 | Moon landing | Failure – booster malfunction, failed to reach Earth orbit | ||
| Semyorka – 8K78 | 20 April 1964 | Moon landing | Failure – booster malfunction, failed to reach Earth orbit | ||
| Cosmos-60 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 12 March 1965 | Moon landing | Failure – stranded in low Earth orbit | |
| Semyorka – 8K78 | 10 April 1965 | Moon landing | Failure – booster malfunction, failed to reach Earth orbit | ||
| Luna-5 | 1475 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 9 May 1965 | Moon landing | Failure – lunar impact |
| Luna-6 | 1440 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 8 June 1965 | Moon landing | Failure – lunar flyby at 100,000 miles (160,000 km) |
| Luna-7 | 1504 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 4 October 1965 | Moon landing | Failure – lunar impact |
| Luna-8 | 1550 | Semyorka – 8K78 | 3 December 1965 | Moon landing | Failure – lunar impact during landing attempt |
Read more about this topic: Moon Landing
Famous quotes containing the words early, soviet, lunar and/or missions:
“Women who marry early are often overly enamored of the kind of man who looks great in wedding pictures and passes the maid of honor his telephone number.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)
“One difference between Nazi and Soviet camps was that in the latter dying was a slower process.”
—Terrence Des Pres (1939–1987)
“A bird half wakened in the lunar noon
Sang halfway through its little inborn tune.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.... Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
—Joseph Heller (b. 1923)