Luna E-6 No.6
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Ye-6 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 1,422 kilograms (3,135 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 March 1964, 08:15:35 UTC |
| Rocket | Molniya-M 8K78M s/n T15000-20 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
Luna E-6 No.6, sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1964A,[1] and sometimes known in the West as Sputnik 27, was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1964. It was a 1,422-kilogram (3,135 lb) Luna Ye-6 spacecraft,[2] the fourth of twelve to be launched.[3] It was intended to be the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the Moon, a goal which would eventually be accomplished by the final Ye-6 spacecraft, Luna 9.
Luna E-6 No.6 was launched at 08:15:35 UTC on 21 March 1964, atop a Molniya-M 8K78M carrier rocket,[3] flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[4] A connecting rod in the Blok I stage broke, leading to a propellant valve failing to open completely. The stage developed insufficient thrust to reach orbit and it shut down at T+489 seconds. The upper stages and probe reentered the atmosphere and broke up.[5] Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon.[1]
References
- ^ a b Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Luna E-6". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on February 25, 2002. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Luna E-6". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
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