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 1,422-kilogram (3,135 lb) 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.
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | E-6 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 1,422 kilograms (3,135 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 February 1963, 09:29:14 (1963-02-03UTC09:29:14Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Molniya-L 8K78/E6 s/n G103-10 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
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Luna 4 →
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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]
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