Zond 6

Zond 6
NamesSoyuz 7K-L1 s/n 12
Mission typePlanetary Science
OperatorLavochkin
COSPAR ID1968-101A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.03535
Mission duration7 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerNPO Energia Company [citation needed]
Launch mass5,375 kg (11,850 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date19:11:31, 10 November 1968 (UTC) (1968-11-10T19:11:31Z)[1]
RocketProton-K/11S824
Launch siteBaikonur 81/26
End of mission
DisposalCrash landed
Landing date17 November 1968 (1968-11-17) 14:10 UT[1]
Landing site70 km NE of Tyuratam, Kazakhstan, USSR[2]
Orbital parameters
Perigee altitude120 km (75 mi)
Apogee altitude400,000 km (250,000 mi)
Inclination51.5°
Period500 days
Flyby of Moon
Closest approach14 November 1968
Distance2,420 km (1,500 mi)

Zond 6 was a formal member of the Soviet Zond program, and an unpiloted version of the Soyuz 7K-L1 crewed Moon-flyby spacecraft. It was launched on a lunar flyby mission on November 10, 1968, from a parent satellite (68-101B) in Earth parking orbit. The spacecraft carried a biological payload of turtles, flies, and bacteria. It also carried scientific probes including cosmic ray, micrometeoroid detectors, and photographic equipment.[3]

The mission was a precursor to a crewed circumlunar flight which the Soviets hoped could occur in December 1968, thus beating the American Apollo 8. However, after rounding the Moon on November 14, Zond 6 crashed on its return to Earth, due to a parachute failure when the parachute was detached from the capsule too early.

  1. ^ a b c Siddiqi, Asif A. (2018). "Zond 6". Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016 (PDF) (second ed.). NASA History Program Office. pp. 81–82.
  2. ^ "Zond-6: Racing Apollo-8". www.russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  3. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 29 January 2024.