Luna 4
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Luna 4, or E-6 No.4 (Ye-6 series), sometimes known in the West as Sputnik 26, was a Soviet spacecraft launched as part of the Luna program to attempt the first soft landing on the Moon. Following a successful launch, the spacecraft failed to perform a course correction and as a result it missed the Moon, remaining instead in Earth orbit.
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Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
Mission type | Lunar lander |
---|---|
Operator | Soviet space program |
COSPAR ID | 1963-008B[1] |
SATCAT no. | 566[1] |
Mission duration | 12 days (launch to last contact) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Ye-6 No.4[2] |
Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
Launch mass | 1,422 kilograms (3,135 lb)[3] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | April 2, 1963, 08:04:00 (1963-04-02UTC08:04Z) UTC[1] |
Rocket | Molniya-L 8K78/E6 |
Launch site | Baikonur 1/5[2] |
End of mission | |
Last contact | April 14, 1963[4] |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Barycentric (Earth-Moon system) |
Semi-major axis | 394,128 kilometres (244,900 mi) |
Eccentricity | 0.772 |
Periapsis altitude | 199 kilometres (124 mi)[5] |
Apoapsis altitude | 694,000 kilometres (431,000 mi)[5] |
Inclination | 65.0 degrees[5] |
Period | 24.21 days[5] |
Epoch | April 2, 1963[5] |
Lunar flyby (failed landing) | |
Closest approach | April 6, 1963, 1:24 UT[3] |
Distance | 8,336.2 kilometres (5,179.9 mi) |
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