Luna 6
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| Operator | Soviet Union |
|---|---|
| Major contractors | OKB-1 |
| Mission type | Planetary Science Lunar landing |
| Satellite of | Sun |
| Launch date | 8 June 1965 07:41:00 UTC |
| Carrier rocket | Molniya 8K78M (4-Stage R-7/SS-6) |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome |
| Mission duration | 3 days |
| Mission highlight | Lunar flyby 159,612.8 km, 11 June 1965 17:00 UTC. |
| COSPAR ID | 1965-044A |
| Mass | 1,440 kg (3,200 lb) |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | Heliocentric orbit |
| Instruments | |
| Main instruments | Close-Up Lunar Surface Photography |
| References: NASA NSSDC Master Catalog | |
Luna 6 (E-6 series) was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 6. Luna 6 was intended to travel to the Moon, but, because a mid-course correction failed, it missed the Moon by 159,612.8 km.
On this ninth Soviet attempt at a lunar soft-landing, the mission proceeded as planned until the major mid-course correction late on 9 June. Although the main retro-rocket engine (the S5.5A) ignited on time, it failed to cut off and continued to fire until propellant supply was exhausted. An investigation later indicated that the problem had been due to human error; a command had been mistakenly sent to the timer that ordered the main engine to shut down. Although the spacecraft was sent on a completely wrong trajectory, ground controllers put the spacecraft through a series of steps to practice an actual landing, all of which were satisfactorily accomplished. Luna 6 passed by the Moon late on 11 June at a range of 161,000 kilometers and eventually entered heliocentric orbit. Contact was maintained to a distance of 600,000 kilometers from Earth.
- Launch Date/Time: 1965-06-08 at 07:41:00 UTC
- On-orbit dry mass: 1440 kg
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Luna 5 |
Luna programme | Succeeded by Luna 7 |
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