Luna E-8-5 No. 405

E-8-5 No.405
A Ye-8-5 model in the Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow.
Mission typeLunar lander
Sample return
OperatorSoviet space program
Mission durationFailed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeE-8-5
ManufacturerNPO Lavochkin
Launch mass5,600 kilograms (12,300 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date6 February 1970, 04:16:06 (1970-02-06UTC04:16:06Z) UTC
RocketProton-K/D s/n 247-01
Launch siteBaikonur 81/23

Luna E-8-5 No.405, also known as Luna Ye-8-5 No.405, and sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1970A,[1] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1970. It was a 5,600-kilogram (12,300 lb) Luna E-8-5 spacecraft, the fifth of eight to be launched.[2][3] It was intended to perform a soft landing on the Moon, collect a sample of lunar soil, and return it to the Earth.[2]

  1. ^ Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  2. ^ a b Wade, Mark. "Luna Ye-8-5". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on February 25, 2002. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  3. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Luna E-8-5". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.