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Zond (Russian:Зонд,lit. 'probe') was the name given to two distinct series ofSovietrobotic spacecraft launched between 1964 and 1970. The first series, based on the3MV planetary probe, was intended to gather information about nearby planets.
The second series of test spacecraft was intended as a precursor to remote-controlled robotic circumlunar loop flights, using a stripped-down variant ofSoyuz spacecraft, consisting of theservice anddescent modules, but lacking theorbital module.
Two tortoises and other lifeforms aboardZond 5 were the first terrestrial organisms to travel around the Moon and return to Earth.
The first three missions were based on the model3MV planetary probe, intended to exploreVenus andMars. After two failures,Zond 3 was sent on a test mission, becoming the second spacecraft to photograph the far side of the Moon (afterLuna 3). It then continued out to the orbit of Mars in order to test telemetry and spacecraft systems.
The missionsZond 4 throughZond 8 were test flights for theSoviet Moonshot during theMoon race. TheSoyuz 7K-L1 (also mentioned just as L1) spacecraft was used for the Moon-aimed missions, stripped down to make it possible to launch around the Moon from the Earth. They were launched on theProton rocket which was just powerful enough to send the Zond on afree return trajectory around the Moon without going into lunar orbit (the same kind of path flown byApollo 13 in its emergency abort). With minor modification, Zond was capable of carrying twocosmonauts.
In the beginning, there were serious reliability problems with both the new Proton rocket and the similarly new Soyuz spacecraft, but the test flights pressed ahead with some glitches. The majority of test flights from 1967 to 1970 (Zond 4 toZond 8) showed problems during re-entry.
The Zond spacecraft made only uncrewed automatic flights. Four of these suffered malfunctions that would have injured or killed any crew. Instrumentation flown on these missions gathered data onmicrometeor flux, solar andcosmic rays,magnetic fields, radio emissions, andsolar wind. Many photographs were taken and biological payloads were also flown.
| 3MV based missions |  | |
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| Soyuz 7K-L1/L1S | ||
| Other | ||
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| Past missions (by spacecraft type) |
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Uncrewed missions are designated asKosmos instead ofSoyuz; exceptions are noted "(uncrewed)". The † sign designates failed missions.Italics designates cancelled missions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Human spaceflight programs |
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| Robotic programs |
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Crewed lunar spacecraft | ||
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| Orbiters |  | |
| Landers | ||
| Proposed | ||
| Related | ||
| Launch vehicles and ascent/upper stages |  | |
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| Spacecraft | ||
| Other hardware | ||
| Soyuzdocking tests | ||
| Zond (7K-L1/L1S) lunar flyby missions | ||
| LOK (7K-LOK/L1E) test missions | ||
| LK Lander (T2K) test missions | ||
The † sign designates failed missions.Italics designates cancelled missions. | ||
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