Luna 5
Luna 5 — a Soviet soft-landing attempt that became the second Soviet probe to hit the Moon (launched 9 May 1965). A guidance gyroscope failed and its braking rocket never fired, so it struck the surface about 700 km from its target on 12 May. Reports of the impact point disagree widely; the site shown follows one later analysis and is very uncertain.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- OKB-1 (USSR)
- Launched
- May 9, 1965
- Status
- Lost
Mission
Luna 5 was sent to land a camera on the Moon, and it reached the Moon — but not gently. Launched on 9 May 1965, it made its mid-course correction the next day, when a gyroscope in its I-100 guidance unit, which had not had time to warm up, lost control and set the spacecraft spinning. Controllers brought it back under control, yet the next manoeuvre failed because of a ground error in calculating its settings, leaving it headed for the Moon but far from its target. When the guidance unit failed again the braking rocket could not fire, and Luna 5 struck the surface at about 19:10 UT on 12 May, some 700 km from where it was aimed — the second Soviet probe to hit the Moon, after Luna 2. Where it hit is still uncertain. The Soviet announcement placed the impact in the Sea of Clouds, at roughly 31° S, 8° W; later analyses range from there to 1.35° S, 25.48° W and beyond. An unconfirmed report from an observatory in Germany described a dust cloud photographed minutes after the impact. The site shown here follows one later analysis and should be read as approximate.
- 1965Launch toward the MoonLaunch
A soft-landing attempt carrying a camera and a radiation detector.
- 1965Control lost at the course correctionMilestone
A gyroscope that had not warmed up sets it spinning; control is regained, but a later manoeuvre fails.
With no braking burn it strikes the surface about 700 km from its target; the exact site is uncertain.
Images
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