3MV-1A/4A
| Launch Date | February 19, 1964 |
| Launch Site | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Russia | Launch Site 1 |
| Destination | Venus |
| Type | Flyby |
| Status | Unsuccessful |
| Nation | Soviet Union |
| Alternate Names |
Goals
Study Venus during a flyby mission.
Accomplishments
None. The rocket carrying the spacecraft into space exploded before it reached orbit.
Key Dates
Feb. 19, 1964: Launch
In Depth
This was another Soviet "third generation" deep space probe that failed to accomplish its mission of a Venus flyby.
This spacecraft failed to reach Earth orbit due to a malfunction in the launch vehicle's third stage. Later investigation indicated that a liquid oxygen leak through an unpressurized valve seal froze propellant in the main pipeline. As a result, the pipeline cracked, leading to an explosion in the third stage.
Spacecraft
Launch Vehicle: 8K78 (no. T15000-19)
Spacecraft Mass: c. 800 kilograms
Spacecraft Instruments:
- radiation detector
- charged-particle detector
- magnetometer
- piezoelectric detector
- atomic hydrogen detector
- radio telescope
- ultraviolet and Roentgen solar radiation experiment
- technology experiment
- plasma engines
Selected References
Siddiqi, Asif A. Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000, NASA, 2002.
