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Mission record

Sputnik 25

Also known as Sputnik 33 (USNSC), Sputnik25

U.S.S.R · Launched

Explore trajectory

Failed · Failure

Sputnik 25 was an attempted Soviet lunar soft landing intended to return data on the mechanical characteristics of the lunar surface, the hazards presented by the topology, and radiation, in preparation for future manned landings. The spacecraft was injected into Earth orbit successfully but failed to escape orbit for its trip to the Moon, and its orbit decayed on 5 January 1963.

Destinations
Launch vehicle
Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage
Launch site
Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Countries
Soviet Union
Mission types
Lander

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Sputnik 25 launched

    Earth

  2. Mission end

    Sputnik 25 orbit decayed after one day

    Earth

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Sputnik 25 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Moon

    • Sputnik 25 landing capsule · Lander

      Destinations: Moon

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

Known dates and encounters do not uniquely determine a flight path. This mission’s sourced timeline is available above; no verified trajectory is currently published here.

What is needed to reconstruct this path?
  • A frame-qualified position and vector velocity at an epoch, or equivalent complete orbital elements.
  • Separate state histories and release epochs for the listed vehicles; a parent mission trajectory cannot be assigned to every component.
  • Finer event-time constraints where required by an orbital reconstruction; the stored day/month/year precision is retained.
  • The actual failed-flight state history. Intended destinations are not evidence that the spacecraft reached them.

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through October 12, 2026