Luna 1963B
Encyclopedia
Luna E-6 No.3, also identified as No.2 and sometimes by NASA as Luna 1963B, was a Soviet
spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1963. It was a 1422 kilograms (3,135 lb) Luna E-6 spacecraft, the second of twelve to be launched, and the second consecutive launch failure. It was intended to be the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing
on the Moon
, a goal which would eventually be accomplished by the final E-6 spacecraft, Luna 9
.
Luna E-6 No.3 was launched at 09:26:14 UTC on 3 February 1963, atop a Molniya-L 8K78L carrier rocket, flying from Site 1/5
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
. A torque sensor in the gyroscope
used to control the pitch of the upper stage malfunctioned, resulting in control of the rocket being lost. The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, and reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean
. Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon, however they believed the launch had occurred on 2 February.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1963. It was a 1422 kilograms (3,135 lb) Luna E-6 spacecraft, the second of twelve to be launched, and the second consecutive launch failure. It was intended to be the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing
Soft landing (rocketry)
A soft landing is any type of aircraft or rocket landing that does not result in the destruction of the vehicle or anything onboard. Unlike a hard landing, soft landings are very smooth and steady. They are often called 'good landings' because of the smooth way the aircraft lands....
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, a goal which would eventually be accomplished by the final E-6 spacecraft, Luna 9
Luna 9
Luna 9 was an unmanned space mission of the Soviet Union's Luna program. On February 3, 1966 the Luna 9 spacecraft was the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on any planetary body other than Earth and to transmit photographic data to Earth.The automatic lunar station that achieved the...
.
Luna E-6 No.3 was launched at 09:26:14 UTC on 3 February 1963, atop a Molniya-L 8K78L carrier rocket, flying from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
. A torque sensor in the gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
used to control the pitch of the upper stage malfunctioned, resulting in control of the rocket being lost. The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, and reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon, however they believed the launch had occurred on 2 February.