Luna Ye-3 #1

Spacecraft n°: 64

USSR spacecraft n°: 12

Launch data:

• Luna 1960A (Ye-3 series) was the second Soviet attempt to photograph the far side of the Moon. The first being the highly successful Luna 3 mission. Luna 1960A was designed to duplicate the Luna 3 mission, but with higher resolution cameras and a closer approach to the Moon.

Specifications:

Description:

• After the spectacular success of Luna 3, this spacecraft was launched to return more detailed photos of the lunar far side. The Ye-3 class vehicle was essentially a Ye-2A probe using a modified radio-telemetry system, but with the old Yenisey-2 imaging system. (A more advanced Ye-3 type with a new imaging system had been abandoned earlier.)
• Scientific Instruments:
  1) Yenisey-2 photographic-TV imaging system
  2) micrometeoroid detector
  3) cosmic-ray detector

Mission details:

• Lunar spacecraft initialy seemed to be making a successful flight, but during the upper stage burn, insufficient velocity was reached, due to either low thrust or premature cut off. Failed to reach Earth orbit.
• Reached an altitude of 200 000 km, halfway to the Moon, but it then turned and fell back to Earth.