Luna E-8 No.201
 A Luna E-8 spacecraft |
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| Major contractors | NPO Lavochkin |
|---|---|
| Bus | Luna E-8 |
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
| Launch date | 19 February 1969 06:48:15 UTC |
| Carrier rocket | Proton-K/D 8K82K s/n 239-01 |
| Launch site | Baikonur Site 81/24 |
| Mass | 5,590 kilograms (12,300 lb) |
Luna E-8 No.201, also known as Luna Ye-8 No.201, and sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1969A,[1] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1969. It was a 5,590-kilogram (12,300 lb) Luna E-8 spacecraft, the first of three to be launched,[2][3] It was intended to perform a soft landing on the Moon, in order to deploy a Lunokhod rover onto the surface. It carried the Lunokhod No.201 rover.[2]
Luna E-8 No.201 was launched at 06:48:15 UTC on 19 February 1969 atop a Proton-K 8K78K carrier rocket with a Blok-D upper stage, flying from Site 81/24 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[4] An engine failure during first stage flight resulted in the rocket coming down approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from its launch pad.[5] Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempt to deploy a rover onto the Lunar surface.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/tent_launch.html. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "Luna Ye-8". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/lunaye8.htm. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Luna E-8". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/luna_e8.htm. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Proton". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/proton.htm. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
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