Luna E-8 No.201
| File:Lunakod landing bus-Luna17.jpg A Luna E-8 spacecraft | |
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | E-8 |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 5,590 kg (12,320 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 February 1969, 06:48:15 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-K/D s/n 239-01 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 81/24 |
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 kilograms (12,320 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]
Launch
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 Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24.[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]
References
- ^ a b Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "Luna Ye-8". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Luna E-8". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Proton". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
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