Molniya 8K78 | Luna-8

Launch Provider & Rocket

• Provider: Soviet Space Program (Government)
• Rocket: Molniya 8K78 — R-7 family

Mission

Ye-6 series probe designed to land on the Moon. Spun out of control during the final parts of the descent, resulting in the spacecraft impacting the lunar surface on December 6.

• Type: Lunar Exploration
• Orbit: Lunar Orbit (LO)

Launch Site

• Pad: 31/6
• Location: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
• View on map

Program

• Luna — The Luna program was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. The program accomplished many firsts in space exploration, including first flyby of the Moon, first impact of the Moon and first photos of the far side of the Moon. Each mission was designed as either an orbiter or lander. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's chemical composition, gravity, temperature, and radiation. (Wikipedia)