| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Ye-6 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 1,422 kilograms (3,135 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 10 April 1965, (1965-04-10) |
| Rocket | Molniya-L 8K78Ls/n R103-26 |
| Launch site | Baikonur1/5 |
Luna E-6 No.8 (Ye-6 series), sometimes identified by NASA asLuna 1965A,[1] was aSoviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1965. It was a 1,422-kilogram (3,135 lb) LunaYe-6 spacecraft,[2] the seventh of twelve to be launched,[3] It was intended to be the first spacecraft to perform asoft landing on theMoon, a goal which would eventually be accomplished by the final Ye-6 spacecraft,Luna 9.
Luna E-6 No.8 was launched on 10 April 1965, atop aMolniya-L 8K78Lcarrier rocket, flying fromSite 1/5 at theBaikonur Cosmodrome.[4] During third stage flight, a nitrogen pipeline in the oxidiser tank depressurised, which caused a loss of oxidiser flow to the engine and resulted in the engine cutting off. The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, and the spacecraft disintegrated on reentry.[5] 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.[1]
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