cosmos.wikisort.org - Spacecraft

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

Mission type	Lunar lander
COSPAR ID
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 (1964-03-21UTC08:15:35Z) UTC
Rocket	Molniya-M 8K78M s/n T15000-20
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5
Luna ← Luna 4 Luna E-6 No.5 →

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

External links

• Zarya - Luna programme chronology

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