Launched 1981
Completed · SuccessOne of a pair of identical Soviet spacecraft built to take advantage of the 1981 Venus launch opportunity and launched five days apart, each consisting of a flyby carrier bus and an attached descent craft. The descent craft plunged into the Venus atmosphere in March 1982, deployed a parachute at about 63 km altitude, released it at 47 km and used simple airbraking the rest of the way to the surface. After landing it started an imaging panorama and a mechanical drilling arm obtained a surface sample for analysis in a hermetically sealed chamber; the lander survived for 57 minutes against a planned design life of 32 minutes, transmitting to the carrier bus, which relayed its data as it flew by Venus.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1981
Completed · SuccessOne of a pair of identical Soviet spacecraft built to take advantage of the 1981 Venus launch opportunity and launched five days apart, each consisting of a flyby carrier bus and an attached descent craft. The descent craft plunged into the Venus atmosphere in March 1982, deployed a parachute at about 63 km altitude, released it at 47 km and used simple airbraking the rest of the way to the surface. After landing it started an imaging panorama and a mechanical drilling arm obtained a surface sample for analysis in a hermetically sealed chamber; the lander survived for 127 minutes against a planned design life of 32 minutes, transmitting to the carrier bus, which relayed its data as it flew by Venus.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1976
Completed · SuccessThe last Soviet lunar mission and the third to return a sample, drilling deep into Mare Crisium and delivering the core to Earth.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1975
Completed · SuccessThe second of a pair of Soviet Venus spacecraft comprising an orbiter and an attached descent craft, launched six days after Venera 9 and nearly identical to it. The descent craft entered the atmosphere on 25 October 1975 and landed near Beta Regio, transmitting for 65 minutes after landing until the orbiter was out of range to act as a relay, and returned television photography showing large pancake rocks with lava or other weathered rocks in between. The orbiter relayed the descent craft's data and made observations from Venus orbit until the transmitter failed after three months.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1975
Completed · SuccessThe first of a pair of Soviet Venus spacecraft comprising an orbiter and an attached descent craft, launched six days before Venera 10. NSSDCA calls Venera 9 the first mission to return pictures from the surface of Venus and the first to go into orbit around another planet, and says its descent craft transmitted the first images ever sent back from the surface of another planet. The descent craft landed near Beta Regio on 22 October 1975 and transmitted for at least 53 minutes; the orbiter relayed its data and made observations from Venus orbit until the transmitter failed after three months.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1974
Failed · Partial SuccessA Soviet sample return attempt whose drilling apparatus was damaged on landing, leaving the lander to operate without returning a sample.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1974
Completed · SuccessA long-lived Soviet lunar orbiter that imaged the surface and measured the Moon's shape, gravity and magnetic field.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1973
Failed · FailureThe last of the four Soviet spacecraft launched towards Mars in July and August of 1973. The Mars 7 interplanetary station was intended to be a Mars lander, consisting of a flyby bus and a descent module designed to enter the martian atmosphere and make in-situ studies of the atmosphere and surface, but a malfunction on board caused the lander to miss the planet. Due to a problem in the operation of one of the onboard systems the landing probe separated prematurely, four hours before encounter, and missed the planet by 1300 km; the lander and bus continued on into heliocentric orbits.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1973
Partial Success · Partial SuccessThe third of the four Soviet spacecraft launched towards Mars in July and August of 1973. The Mars 6 interplanetary station consisted of a flyby bus and an attached descent module; the descent module separated from the bus on reaching Mars and was designed to enter the martian atmosphere and make in-situ studies of the Mars atmosphere and surface. Contact with the descent module was lost in direct proximity to the surface, probably either when the retrorockets fired or when it hit the surface. The descent module transmitted 224 seconds of data before transmissions ceased, which NSSDCA records as the first data returned from the atmosphere of Mars, although much of it was unreadable due to a flaw in a computer chip which led to degradation of the system during its journey to Mars.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1973
Partial Success · Partial SuccessThe second of the four Soviet spacecraft launched towards Mars in July and August of 1973. The Mars 5 automatic station was designed to orbit Mars and return information on the composition, structure and properties of the martian atmosphere and surface, and was also designed to act as a communications link to the Mars 6 and 7 landers. The orbiter operated only a few days and returned atmospheric data and images of a small portion of the martian southern hemisphere: it collected data for 22 orbits until a loss of pressurization in the transmitter housing ended the mission, returning about 60 images over a nine day period.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1973
Partial Success · Partial SuccessThe first of the associated group of four Soviet spacecraft, Mars 4, 5, 6 and 7, launched towards Mars in July and August of 1973. The Mars 4 automatic station was intended to be a Mars orbiter mission, very similar in design and intended mission to the Mars 5 orbiter launched 4 days later. Due to a flaw in a transistor which resulted in degradation of the computer chip during the voyage to Mars, the retro-rockets never fired to slow the craft into Mars orbit, and Mars 4 flew by the planet instead. It returned one swath of pictures and some radio occultation data which NSSDCA records as the first detection of the nightside ionosphere on Mars, and continued to return interplanetary data from solar orbit after the flyby.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1973
Completed · SuccessThe Soviet mission that delivered Lunokhod 2 to Le Monnier crater, where the rover drove further across the Moon than any vehicle before it.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1972
Failed · FailureAn attempted Soviet Venus probe which failed to escape low Earth orbit, launched four days after Venera 8 with an identical design and mission plan. After achieving an Earth parking orbit it made an apparent attempt to launch into a Venus transfer trajectory and separated into four pieces, two of which remained in low Earth orbit and decayed within 48 hours while two went into a higher 210 x 9800 km orbit. NSSDCA records that a malfunction resulted in an engine burn which did not achieve sufficient velocity for the Venus transfer, and that because the lander probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere it is possible it survived its eventual reentry over the Indian Ocean.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1972
Completed · SuccessOne of a pair of Soviet Venus atmospheric lander probes designed for the spring 1972 launch window, whose objectives were to make a more sophisticated set of scientific measurements at the Venus surface, including studies of the Venus regolith. Its companion, Cosmos 482, failed to leave Earth orbit. The descent craft separated on 22 July 1972, entered the atmosphere on the sunlit side and landed, continuing to send back data for 63 minutes after landing before failing due to the harsh surface conditions. NSSDCA records that the first measurements of the surface regolith of Venus were returned, along with a profile of the cloud layer including detection of sulfuric acid.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1972
Completed · SuccessA Soviet mission that drilled and returned a sample from the lunar highlands near Mare Fecunditatis.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1971
Completed · SuccessA Soviet lunar orbiter that surveyed the Moon's surface, gravitational field and surrounding plasma for more than a year.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1971
Failed · FailureA Soviet lunar sample return attempt lost when communications ceased at the moment of landing.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1971
Partial Success · Partial SuccessThe second of the two identical Mars 2 and Mars 3 spacecraft, each with a bus/orbiter module and an attached descent/lander module. The primary scientific objectives of the Mars 3 orbiter were to image the martian surface and clouds, determine the temperature on Mars, study the topography, composition and physical properties of the surface, measure properties of the atmosphere, monitor solar radiation, the solar wind and the interplanetary and martian magnetic fields, and act as a communications relay to send signals from the lander to Earth. Through aerodynamic braking, parachutes, and retro-rockets, the lander achieved a soft landing and began operations, but after 20 sec the instruments stopped working for unknown reasons. The orbiter had suffered a partial loss of fuel and reached a long 12 day, 19 hour period orbit instead of the planned 25 hour one.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1971
Partial Success · Partial SuccessThe Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with a bus/orbiter module and an attached descent/lander module. The primary scientific objectives of the Mars 2 orbiter were to image the martian surface and clouds, determine the temperature on Mars, study the topography, composition and physical properties of the surface, measure properties of the atmosphere, monitor the solar wind and the interplanetary and martian magnetic fields, and act as a communications relay to send signals from the lander to Earth. The descent module entered the martian atmosphere at a steeper angle than planned, the descent system malfunctioned and the lander crashed, delivering the Soviet Union coat of arms to the surface; the orbiter entered a 1380 x 24,940 km orbit and completed 362 orbits before the mission was announced complete on 22 August 1972.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1971
Failed · FailureA Soviet launch intended to be a Mars orbiting mission, presumably similar to the orbiter section of the later Mars 2 mission. NSSDCA records that it is widely believed this spacecraft was launched with the primary purpose of overtaking Mariner 8, which had been launched unsuccessfully two days earlier, and becoming the first Mars orbiter. The Proton booster successfully put the spacecraft into a low Earth parking orbit, but the Block D stage 4 failed to function due to a bad ignition timer setting, and the orbit decayed. Beginning in 1962, the name Cosmos was given to Soviet spacecraft which remained in Earth orbit, regardless of whether that was their intended final destination.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1970
Completed · SuccessThe Soviet mission that delivered Lunokhod 1, the first roving vehicle to operate on another world, to Mare Imbrium.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1970
Completed · SuccessA Soviet circumlunar flight that photographed the Moon and Earth before returning its capsule to Earth.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1970
Completed · SuccessThe first robotic mission to return a sample from the Moon, drilling into Mare Fecunditatis and delivering the material to Earth.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1970
Failed · FailureAn attempted Soviet Venus flight, which NSSDCA describes as perhaps a lander similar to the Venera 7 mission launched five days earlier on 17 August. That page prints the day without a year; Venera 7's own launch/orbital information page dates the launch 1970-08-17T05:38:22Z. The launcher successfully brought the spacecraft to Earth orbit and the payload separated from the Tyazheliy Sputnik, but the escape stage failed during firing, putting the payload into a slightly more elliptical geocentric orbit, and the mission was designated Cosmos 359. Its orbit decayed later the same year.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1970
Completed · SuccessVenera 7 was a Soviet Venus mission whose titanium descent craft entered the nightside atmosphere of Venus on 15 December 1970. Its parachute ripped during descent and the probe struck the surface hard at about 16.5 m/s, but it survived and kept transmitting a weak signal for roughly a further 23 minutes - a return recognised only in later analysis of recorded radio signals - making it the first spacecraft to return data from the surface of another planet. A commutator failure meant only temperature, not pressure, was transmitted.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Failed · FailureA Soviet lunar mission that reached Earth orbit but failed to leave it, and so received a Cosmos designation.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Failed · FailureA Soviet lunar mission that reached Earth orbit but failed to leave it, and so received a Cosmos designation.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Completed · SuccessA Soviet circumlunar flight that photographed the Moon and Earth and returned its capsule to Soviet territory.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Failed · FailureA Soviet attempt to return a lunar sample ahead of Apollo 11; it reached lunar orbit but was lost during its landing attempt.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Failed · FailureThe second of the two identical M-69 class probes launched in the spring of 1969, a Soviet Mars mission never officially announced but since identified as a planned orbiter. The nominal mission plan was the same as its twin's: put the spacecraft into a 1700 x 34,000 km capture orbit around Mars with an inclination of 40 degrees and a period of 24 hours, then lower the periapsis to 500 to 700 km for a nominal three month session of imaging and data collection from orbit. The first stage of the launcher failed almost immediately and the rocket impacted and exploded 41 seconds after liftoff approximately 3 km from the launch pad.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Failed · FailureA Soviet Mars mission that was never officially announced but has since been identified as a planned orbiter, the first of two identical M-69 class probes launched in the spring of 1969. The nominal mission plan was to put the spacecraft into a 1700 x 34,000 km capture orbit around Mars with an inclination of 40 degrees and a period of 24 hours, then lower the periapsis to 500 to 700 km for a nominal three month session of imaging and data collection from orbit. After successful operation of the first two stages, the third stage of the launcher experienced a malfunction in a rotor bearing which caused the turbopump to catch fire; the engine shut down 438.66 seconds after launch and exploded.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Completed · SuccessOne of a pair of identical Soviet spacecraft launched five days apart in January 1969 and designed to make in-situ measurements as they descended through the Venusian atmosphere, measuring temperature, pressure and composition. The descent craft was released on 17 May 1969, 25,000 km from the planet, entered the nightside atmosphere and sent read-outs every 48 seconds for 51 minutes before ceasing operation due to the temperature and pressure. NSSDCA records that together the Venera 5 and 6 probe data allowed a more precise determination of the atmospheric composition.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1969
Completed · SuccessOne of a pair of identical Soviet spacecraft launched five days apart in January 1969 and designed to make in-situ measurements as they descended through the Venusian atmosphere, measuring temperature, pressure and composition. The descent craft was released from the bus on 16 May 1969 at a distance of 37,000 km from Venus, entered the nightside atmosphere and sent read-outs every 48 seconds for 53 minutes before succumbing to the temperature and pressure. Approximately 70 pressure measurements and 50 temperature measurements were returned during the descent, confirming the high temperatures, pressures and carbon dioxide composition found by Venera 4.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1968
Completed · SuccessSoviet lunar flyby precursor to crewed spaceflight carrying cosmic-ray and micrometeoroid detectors, photography equipment and a biological payload; it flew around the Moon at a minimum distance of 2420 km, photographed the near and farside on panchromatic film, and made a controlled reentry over the Soviet Union.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1968
Completed · SuccessSoviet circumlunar precursor to crewed lunar spacecraft that flew around the Moon at a closest distance of 1,950 km carrying a biological payload of turtles, wine flies, meal worms, plants, seeds and bacteria, then made a ballistic reentry and was recovered from the Indian Ocean.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1968
Completed · SuccessSoviet Ye-6LS lunar orbiter flown mainly to test communications systems between a spacecraft at the Moon and ground stations on Earth in preparation for the planned Soviet crewed lunar orbiter, while also mapping the lunar gravity field and measuring charged particles.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1967
Failed · FailureA Soviet mission intended to be a Venus lander, similar in design to the Venera 4 spacecraft launched five days earlier on 12 June 1967. The spacecraft became stranded in Earth orbit and was designated Cosmos 167; its orbit decayed and it re-entered Earth's atmosphere eight days after launch. NSSDCA records that from 1962 the name Cosmos was given to Soviet spacecraft which remained in Earth orbit regardless of whether that was their intended final destination.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1967
Completed · Partial SuccessA Soviet bus and descent craft launched in June 1967, designed with the announced scientific objective of in-situ studies of the atmosphere of Venus down to the surface. The descent craft entered the nightside Venusian atmosphere on 18 October 1967 and its instruments remained on for 93 minutes, returning 23 sets of readings until it reached an altitude of roughly 25 km. NSSDCA calls it the first probe to transmit data from the atmosphere of another planet, and records that it failed to reach the surface because the temperatures and pressures deep in the atmosphere were much higher than it was designed for.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1966
Completed · SuccessThe third spacecraft to make a successful soft-landing on the Moon, following Luna 9 and Surveyor 1; it landed in the region of Oceanus Procellarum and returned panoramas of the lunar landscape along with regolith density, penetrometer, temperature and radiation measurements.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1966
Completed · SuccessA Soviet lunar orbiting spacecraft, virtually identical to Luna 11 except for a redesigned propulsion system, that operated in lunar orbit for 3 months and returned images and scientific data over 602 lunar orbits.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1966
Completed · Partial SuccessA Soviet lunar orbiting spacecraft sent to study the Moon's gamma- and X-ray emissions, gravitational anomalies and near-lunar radiation; an attitude control system failure misoriented the spacecraft, so its camera returned 64 images of black space over 277 orbits.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1966
Completed · SuccessThe first spacecraft to go into orbit around the Moon, and the first human-made object to orbit any body beyond the Earth; it operated for 56 days over 460 lunar orbits, returning data on the Moon's magnetic field, radiation environment and distorted gravity field.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1966
Failed · FailureSoviet Ye-6S spacecraft intended to orbit the Moon; the Blok-L upper stage lost roll control and failed to fire it out of Earth parking orbit onto a lunar trajectory, so it was designated Cosmos 111 and reentered two days after launch.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1966
Completed · SuccessThe first spacecraft to achieve a lunar soft landing and to transmit photographic data from the Moon's surface to Earth, preceding the U.S. Surveyor 1 soft lander by about 4 months; it returned four panoramas from Oceanus Procellarum before its batteries ran out on 6 February 1966.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Failed · FailureLuna 8 was a Soviet Ye-6 spacecraft launched with the intended mission of achieving a soft landing on the Moon. A puncture to a cushioning airbag caused the spacecraft to spin and lose attitude control, preventing full firing of the retrorockets, and it impacted the Sea of Storms.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Failed · FailureA mission NSSDCA describes as intended for a Venus lander, presumably similar in design to the Venera 3 which had launched a week earlier. The spacecraft attained Earth orbit and the main rocket body separated from the orbiting launch platform; it is believed an explosion, perhaps during ignition for insertion into a Venus transfer orbit, damaged the platform and produced at least six additional fragments. The damaged spacecraft remained in orbit for 16 days and reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 9 December 1965.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Lost · Partial SuccessA Venus lander launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik, whose entry body contained a radio communication system, scientific instruments, electrical power sources and medallions bearing the coat of arms of the U.S.S.R. Contact was lost on 16 February 1966, thought to be due to overheating; the spacecraft continued on to Venus and released its lander probe autonomously, which entered the atmosphere and reached the surface on 1 March 1966. NSSDCA calls that impact the first time a spacecraft reached the surface of another planet, and records that no planetary data could be returned.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Lost · FailureA Venus mission launched with its Tyazheliy Sputnik platform from Baikonur and launched from Earth parking orbit into a heliocentric orbit towards the planet. Communications during the cruise were generally poor and sporadic, and the communication system ceased to operate before the planet was reached because radiator elements did not function correctly and allowed it to overheat. The spacecraft passed Venus at a distance of 23,950 km on 27 February 1966 and entered a heliocentric orbit, and returned no data from the encounter.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Failed · FailureLuna 7 was a Soviet Ye-6 spacecraft intended to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. Loss of attitude control during the final approach prevented the retrorockets from firing, and the spacecraft impacted the lunar surface near Kepler Crater in the Sea of Storms.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Completed · SuccessZond 3 was a Soviet spacecraft launched towards the Moon and interplanetary space that photographed the lunar farside during a flyby at a closest approach of 9200 km, returning 25 pictures of very good quality. After the lunar flyby it continued space exploration in a heliocentric orbit until the last communications were made in March 1966.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Failed · FailureLuna 6 was an attempted lunar soft landing mission of the Soviet Ye-6 series, similar to the Luna 5 design. During the mid-course correction the main retro-rocket failed to cut off and fired until its propellant was exhausted, putting the spacecraft on a trajectory that missed the Moon by 161,000 km before contact was lost.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Failed · FailureLuna 5 was a Soviet Ye-6 automatic interplanetary station designed to continue investigations of a lunar soft landing. Guidance failures in the I-100 control unit and a ground control error prevented the retrorocket burn, and the spacecraft impacted the lunar surface some 700 km from the target point, becoming the second Soviet probe to hit the Moon.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1965
Failed · FailureCosmos 60 was intended to be a Soviet lunar soft-landing mission, with a design similar to that of Luna 4. The spacecraft achieved Earth orbit, but failed to leave orbit for its journey to the Moon for unknown reasons, and was designated Cosmos 60.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1964
Lost · Partial SuccessA Soviet automatic interplanetary station launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking orbit towards Mars to test space-borne systems and to carry out scientific investigations, carrying a descent craft and the same instruments as the Mars 1 flyby spacecraft. It carried six experimental low-thrust electrojet plasma ion engines that served as actuators of the attitude control system, and NSSDCA records its electronic ion engines as successfully tested between 08 and 18 December 1964, the first successful firing of ion engines on an interplanetary mission. One solar panel failed to deploy until 15 December, too late for the crucial first mid-course maneuver, and communications were lost in early May 1965 before the spacecraft passed Mars on 6 August 1965.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1964
Lost · FailureA spacecraft launched from an Earth orbiting Tyazheliy Sputnik platform towards Venus, originally described as a deep-space engineering test and, in NSSDCA's words, clearly intended as a Venus flyby and lander. Within a week of launch its pressurized inner compartment was found to be leaking, the internal pressure dropped to 1 mb and short circuits followed in some of the electronics including the radio transmitter; ground control worked out a way to communicate through the lander and control the spacecraft, and a second trajectory correction of 50 m/s put Zond 1 on a course to pass within about 100,000 km of Venus. Communications were lost on 24 May 1964 and the silent spacecraft flew past Venus and entered a heliocentric orbit.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1964
Failed · FailureA mission NSSDCA describes as intended for a Venus flyby and probe. The SL-6/A-2-e (Molniya + Blok I) launcher successfully achieved Earth orbit on 27 March 1964, but the circuit for the valves of the attitude control system malfunctioned, the spacecraft could not maintain a stable attitude for the burn to head for Venus, and it was left in Earth orbit and designated Cosmos 27. It reentered and burned up in the atmosphere the next day.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1963
Failed · FailureA flight NSSDCA has tentatively identified as a technology test of the Venera series space probes, which may have been an attempted Venus flyby presumably similar to the later Cosmos 27 mission, or may have been intended from the beginning to remain in geocentric orbit. In either case the spacecraft never left Earth orbit after insertion by the SL-6/A-2-e launcher: telemetry from the Blok L upper stage was lost at about 6:45:44 UT, and it is thought the main engine turbopump exploded upon ignition. NSSDCA records this as the first time the Soviet Union used the Cosmos designation for a mission that failed and remained stranded in Earth orbit.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Venus
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
- Technology Demonstrator
- Flyby
Launched 1963
Failed · FailureLuna 4 was the USSR's first spacecraft of their second generation lunar program, an automatic interplanetary station designed to perform a soft landing on the Moon. A failure of the Yupiter astronavigation system during trans-lunar coast prevented the planned midcourse correction, and the spacecraft missed the Moon by about 8400 km before entering a high equatorial Earth orbit.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1963
Failed · FailureSputnik 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.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Moon
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable
Launched 1962
Failed · FailureAn attempted Soviet Mars lander mission. The SL-6/A-2-e launcher put the spacecraft and the attached booster upper stage into a 197 x 590 km Earth orbit with an inclination of 64.7 degrees; the complex broke up during the burn to transfer to Mars trajectory and five large pieces were tracked by the U.S. Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. The geocentric orbit of the presumed booster decayed on 25 December 1962 and the Mars spacecraft orbit decayed and it re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 19 January 1963.
- Agency
- U.S.S.R
- Destination
- Mars
- Trajectory
- Trajectory unavailable