Luna E-6 No.3 | |
Mission Type: | Lunar lander |
Operator: | Soviet space program |
Mission Duration: | Failed to orbit |
Spacecraft Type: | E-6 |
Manufacturer: | OKB-1 |
Launch Date: | UTC |
Launch Rocket: | Molniya-L 8K78/E6 |
Launch Site: | Baikonur 1/5 |
Programme: | Luna programme |
Previous Mission: | Sputnik 25 |
Next Mission: | Luna 4 |
Luna E-6 No.3, also identified as No.2 and sometimes by NASA as Luna 1963B,[1] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1963. It was a 1422kg (3,135lb) Luna E-6 spacecraft,[2] the second of twelve to be launched,[3] and the second consecutive launch failure.[3] It was intended to be the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the Moon, a goal which would eventually be accomplished by the final E-6 spacecraft, Luna 9.
Luna E-6 No.3 was launched at 09:26:14 UTC on 3 February 1963, atop a Molniya-L 8K78L carrier rocket,[3] flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[4] A torque sensor in the gyroscope used to control the pitch of the upper stage malfunctioned, resulting in control of the rocket being lost.[5] The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, and reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.[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. However, they believed the launch had occurred on 2 February.[1]