Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L

Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L

A Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft
Mission type	Lunar flyby Spacecraft test
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Soyuz 7K-L1
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	5,390 kilograms (11,880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	27 September 1967, 22:11:54 UTC
Rocket	Proton-K/D s/n 229-01
Launch site	Baikonur 81/23

Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L, sometimes identified by NASA as Zond 1967A,^[1] was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched in 1967 as part of the Zond programme. It was a 5,390-kilogram (11,880 lb) Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft, the first of nine to be launched.^[2][3] It was intended to perform a circumlunar flyby of the Moon before returning to the Earth for landing. However, it failed to achieve orbit.

Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L was launched at 22:11:54 UTC on 27 September 1967 atop a Proton-K 8K78K carrier rocket with a Blok D upper stage, flying from Site 81/23 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.^[4] A rubber plug came loose and lodged in some plumbing at liftoff, causing one first stage engine to shut off. The booster eventually lost attitude control and became unstable during flight, so the automatic shutdown command was sent at T+97 seconds and it crashed downrange. The spacecraft separated from the rocket by means of the SAS launch escape system, and came down between 50 and 60 kilometres (31 and 37 mi) downrange. The next morning, recovery crews located the descent module, however approaching it was tricky due to spilled propellant and still-burning booster debris in the area. It was collected by a Mil Mi-6 helicopter and returned to Baikonur.^[5] Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been a test of a spacecraft intended for manned Lunar flights. However, they were unsure whether it was intended to reach the Moon itself.^[1]

References

1. Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
2. Wade, Mark. "Soyuz 7K-L1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
3. Krebs, Gunter. "Zond (L1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
5. Wade, Mark. "Proton". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 27 July 2010.