Luna E-6 No.3
Luna E-6 No.3, also identified as No.2 and sometimes by NASA as Luna 1963B,[1] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1963. It was a 1,422-kilogram (3,135 lb) Luna E-6 spacecraft,[2] the second of twelve to be launched,[3] and the second consecutive launch failure.[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 E-6 spacecraft, Luna 9.
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | E-6 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 1,422 kilograms (3,135 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 February 1963, 09:29:14 UTC |
| Rocket | Molniya-L 8K78/E6 s/n G103-10 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
Luna E-6 No.3 was launched at 09:26:14 UTC on 3 February 1963, atop a Molniya-L 8K78L carrier rocket,[3] flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[4] A torque sensor in the gyroscope used to control the pitch of the upper stage malfunctioned, resulting in control of the rocket being lost.[5] The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, and reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.[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. However, they believed the launch had occurred on 2 February.[1]
References
- Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- Wade, Mark. "Luna E-6". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on February 25, 2002. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- 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.