Luna Ye-3 #2

Spacecraft n°: 66

USSR spacecraft n°: 13

Launch data:

• Luna 1960B (Ye-3 series) was the third Soviet attempt to photograph the far side of the Moon, the first being the highly successful Luna 3 mission and the second being the unsuccessful Luna 1960A. Luna 1960B was launched on April 16, 1960. It was designed to duplicate the Luna 3 mission, but with higher resolution cameras and a closer approach to the Moon.

Specifications:

Description:

• This was the last of the “first-generation” Soviet probes to the Moon. Like its immediate predecessor, it was designed to photograph the far side of the Moon. Unfortunately, the probe never left Earth’s atmosphere.
• Scientific Instruments:
  1) Yenisey-2 photographic-TV imaging system
  2) micrometeoroid detector
  3) cosmic-ray detector

Mission details:

• The rocket was launched with one of the strap-ons at 75% thrust and immediately after lift-off it stopped completely at T+10 secondes. The rocket drifted siddeways and upwards to reach about 170m altitude, then the other three strap-ons separated from the core-stage. The boosters fell all over the launch area, exploding on impact, then the core stage fell right next to the assembly building. The upper stage with the Luna spacecraft landed about 1 km away, to explode on impact. The cause was later established as being one of the valves in the booster closing completely 0,4 sec after lift-off.