Luna 7
Luna 7 — a Soviet soft-landing attempt (launched 4 October 1965). Attitude control was lost on the final approach, so its braking rockets never fired, and it crashed near Kepler crater in the Ocean of Storms on 7 October.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- OKB-1 (USSR)
- Launched
- October 4, 1965
- Status
- Lost
Mission
Luna 7 failed at the very last stage. Launched on 4 October 1965, the Ye-6 lander flew a good path to the Moon, but during its final approach it lost attitude control. Without the right orientation its braking rockets were prevented from firing, and at 22:08:24 UT on 7 October it struck the Ocean of Storms near the crater Kepler, at roughly 9° N, 49° W. Like the rest of its series, Luna 7 was a stack of three parts: a rocket module with the main engine for the course correction and the descent; a sealed compartment holding the radio, the guidance system and a radar altimeter; and on top a 58 cm sphere — the lander itself — protected by two airbags. The plan was for a five-metre boom to touch the ground first and trigger the release of the sphere, which would hit the surface at about 15 m/s, cushioned by its airbags, then open four petals to right itself and raise its antennas and camera. Luna 7 never got that far, and neither did Luna 8 two months later. Luna 9 was the one that worked.
- 1965Launch toward the MoonLaunch
Another Ye-6 soft-landing attempt.
Attitude control is lost on the final approach; the braking rockets never fire and it hits near Kepler crater.
Images
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