Ye-8-5 n°405
Launch Failure
Liftoff Time (GMT)
04:16:06
Friday February 6, 1970
Mission Details
Launch Notes
The second stage of the launcher exploded in flight. The failure was caused by a sensor that failed to send a signal to the onboard computer, which interpreted it as an engine failure and commanded all the other engines to shutdown.
Ye-8-5 n°405
The Ye-8-5 is a version of the Ye-8 to drill a small sample of lunar soil and return it to earth. This could be launched in coordination with the L3S. Although not a manned lunar landing, it would provide a Soviet crew in orbit around the moon, and return of lunar soil to earth, nearly matching the Apollo mission. The last chance to upstage the Americans was a combined launch of the N1-L3S and Ye-8-5 before Apollo 11 in July.
Trans Lunar Injection
1 Payload
5,600 kilograms
Rocket
Manufacturer
KhrunichevRocket
Height: 56.14m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 18,900 kg
GTO: 9,000 kg
Liftoff Thrust
8,840 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 3.9m
Height: 8.9m
Stages
4
Launch Site
Stats
Proton-K
20th
Mission
1st
Mission of 1970
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
465th
Mission
7th
Mission of 1970
1970
11th
Orbital launch attempt