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Sputnik 20

NSSDC ID: 1962-043A

Description

Sputnik 20 (1962 Alpha Tau 1) was intended to be a Venus landing mission. The Venera-type spacecraft was successfully inserted into geocentric orbit by the SL-6/A-2-e launcher. The escape stage failed and the spacecraft was stranded in Earth orbit until it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere 5 days later.

This spacecraft was originally designated Sputnik 24 in the U.S. Naval Space Command Satellite Situation Summary.

Alternate Names

  • 1962 Alpha Tau 1
  • Sputnik 24 (USNSC)
  • 00381

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 1962-09-01
Launch Vehicle: Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Mass: 6500.0 kg

Funding Agency

  • Unknown (U.S.S.R)

Discipline

  • Planetary Science

Additional Information

Experiments on Sputnik 20

Data collections from Sputnik 20

Questions or comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Dr. David R. Williams.

Selected References

Shelton, W., Soviet space exploration - the first decade, Arthur Barker Ltd., Unnumbered, London, England, 1969.

Harvey, B., The new Russian space programme from competition to collaboration, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England, 1996.

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