Venera 3

Venera 3

Mission type	Venus Lander
COSPAR ID	1965-092A
SATCAT №	1733
Mission duration	105 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	3MV-3 No.1
Manufacturer	Lavochkin
Launch mass	960 kilograms (2,120 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	16 November 1965, 04:19 UTC
Rocket	Molniya
Launch site	Baikonur 31/6
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Heliocentric
Venus impact (failed landing)
Impact date	1 March 1966

Venera 3 (Russian: Венера-3 meaning Venus 3) (Manufacturer's Designation: 3MV-3) was a Venera program space probe that was built and launched by the Soviet Union to explore the surface of Venus. It was launched on 16 November 1965 at 04:19 UTC from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Mission

The mission of this spacecraft was to land on the Venusian surface. The entry body contained a radio communication system, scientific instruments, electrical power sources, and medallions bearing the Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union.

The probe possibly crash-landed on Venus on 1 March 1966, making Venera 3 the first spacecraft to impact on the surface of another planet. However, its communications systems failed before it reached the planet.^[1][2]

See also

• 1965 in spaceflight
• List of missions to Venus
• Timeline of planetary exploration

References

1. David Leverington (2000). New cosmic horizons. Cambridge University Press. p. 74. ISBN 0-521-65833-0.
2. "Venera 3". NASA.