Luna 4
Mockup of the Luna 9 (a Ye-6 series), Museum of Air and Space Paris, Le Bourget (France) | |
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| COSPAR ID | 1963-008B |
| SATCAT no. | 566 |
| Mission duration | 13 days (launch to last contact) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Ye-6 No.4 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 1,422 kilograms (3,135 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 2, 1963, 08:04:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Molniya-L 8K78/E6 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | April 15, 1963 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Periapsis altitude | 690,000 km (430,000 mi) |
| Apoapsis altitude | 89,250 km (55,460 mi) |
| Epoch | April 2, 1963 |
| Lunar flyby (failed landing) | |
| Closest approach | April 5, 1963, 13:25 UT |
| Distance | 8,400 kilometres (5,200 mi) |
Luna 4, or E-6 No.4 (Ye-6 series), sometimes known in the West as Lunik 4, was a Soviet spacecraft launched as part of the Luna program to attempt the first soft landing on the Moon. Following a successful launch, the spacecraft failed to perform a course correction and as a result it missed the Moon, remaining instead in Earth orbit before possibly transitioning into a solar orbit. Though the mission was unsuccessful, it nevertheless marked a new epoch in the Space Race, which culminated in the successful landing of Luna 9 in 1966.