Launch Date	Feb. 6, 1970
Launch Site	Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Russia | Launch Site 81
Destination	Earth’s Moon
Type	Sample Return, Lander
Status	Unsuccessful
Nation	Soviet Union
Alternate Names

Goals

This was the fifth Soviet attempt to collect lunar samples and bring them to Earth.

Accomplishments

None. The booster failed and the probe never reached Earth orbit, from which it was to be launched to the Moon.

Key Dates

Feb. 6, 1970: Launch

In Depth

This attempt continued the spate of failures on the robotic lunar sample-return program. On this fifth attempt to recover soil from the Moon, the Proton booster failed to deposit its payload in Earth orbit. An erroneous command shut down the second stage at T+127 seconds, and the booster was destroyed.

Subsequently, the design organization responsible for the Proton, the TsKBM, implemented a thorough review of the Proton's performance and completed a simple suborbital diagnostic flight in August 1970 to verify corrective measures.

Spacecraft

Launch Vehicle: 8K82K + Blok D (Proton no. 247-01)

Spacecraft Mass: Unknown

1. Spacecraft Instruments:
2. stereo imaging system
3. remote arm for sample collection
4. radiation detector

Additional Resources

NSSDC Soviet Lunar Missions Page

Selected References

Siddiqi, Asif A. Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000, NASA, 2002.