NSSDC ID: 1974-084A
Luna 23 was a Moon lander mission which was intended to return a lunar sample to Earth. Launched to the Moon by a Proton SL-12/D-1-e booster, the spacecraft was damaged during landing in Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises). The sample collecting apparatus could not operate and no samples were returned. The lander continued transmissions for 3 days after landing. In 1976, Luna 24 landed several hundred meters away and successfully returned samples.
Launch Date: 1974-10-28
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Mass: 5600.0 kg
Questions or comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Dr. David R. Williams.
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Mr. Artem Ivankov | General Contact | Lavochkin Association | artem.ivankov@laspace.ru |
Shelton, W., Soviet space exploration - the first decade, Arthur Barker Ltd., Unnumbered, London, England, 1969.
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