Ye-6/6
| Launch Date | Mar. 21, 1964 |
| Launch Site | Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Russia | Launch Site 1 |
| Destination | Earth’s Moon |
| Type | Lander |
| Status | Unsuccessful |
| Nation | Soviet Union |
| Alternate Names |
Goals
This was the Soviet Union's fourth attempt to safely land a spacecraft on the Moon. The lander was equipped with an imaging system and a radiation detector.
Accomplishments
None. A malfunction caused a premature engine cutoff and the spacecraft failed to reach Earth orbit.
Key Dates
Mar. 21, 1964: Launch
In Depth
This fourth Soviet attempt to achieve a soft-landing on the Moon failed to reach an intermediate orbit around Earth.
During the boost phase, the launcher's third-stage engine's main liquid oxygen valve failed to open when the valve rod broke off. As a result, the third-stage engine never reached full thrust and eventually cut off prematurely at T+489 seconds. The spacecraft never reached Earth orbit.
Spacecraft
Launch Vehicle: 8K78M (no. T15000-20)
Spacecraft Mass: c. 1,420 kg
Spacecraft Instruments:
- imaging system
- radiation detector
Selected References
Siddiqi, Asif A. Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000, NASA, 2002.
