Luna (rocket)

Luna 8K72
	Blok E upper stage, with Luna payload
Function	Carrier rocket
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Country of origin	Soviet Union
Size
Mass	277,000 kg (611,000 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	R-7
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Baikonur: LC-1/5
Total launches	9
Success(es)	3
Type of passengers/cargo	Luna probes
First stage – Block B, V, G, D
Powered by	1 RD-107-8D74-1958
Maximum thrust	990.00 kN
Burn time	120 seconds
Propellant	Kerosene/LOX
Second stage – Block A
Powered by	1 RD-108-8D75-1958
Maximum thrust	936.500 kN
Burn time	320 seconds
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
Third stage – Block E
Powered by	1 RD-0105
Maximum thrust	49.0 kN
Burn time	316 seconds
Propellant	Kerosene/LOX
	[edit on Wikidata]

The Luna 8K72 vehicles were carrier rockets used by the Soviet Union for nine space probe launch attempts in the Luna programme between 23 September 1958 and 16 April 1960.^[1] Like many other Soviet launchers of that era, the Luna 8K72 vehicles were derived from the R-7 Semyorka design, part of the R-7 (rocket family), which was also the basis for the Vostok and modern Soyuz rocket.

The 8K72 was the first R-7 variant explicitly designed as an carrier rocket and it incorporated a few features that became standard on all later R-7 carrier rockets including thicker tank walls to support the weight of upper stages and the AVD malfunction detection system, which would terminate engine thrust if the booster's operating parameters (engine performance, electrical power, or flight trajectory) deviated from normal.

Launches

Luna 8K72 was launched nine times from Baikonur LC-1/5:^[2]

Launch Date	Serial No.	LS	Payload	Result
23.09.1958	B1-3	Ba LC-1/5	Luna E-1 No.1	Failure
11.10.1958	B1-4	Ba LC-1/5	Luna E-1 No.2	Failure
04.12.1958	B1-5	Ba LC-1/5	Luna E-1 No.3	Failure
02.01.1959	B1-6	Ba LC-1/5	Luna 1	Success
18.06.1959	I1-7	Ba LC-1/5	Luna E-1A No.1	Failure
12.09.1959	I1-7B	Ba LC-1/5	Luna 2	Success
04.10.1959	I1-8	Ba LC-1/5	Luna 3	Success
15.04.1960	L1-9	Ba LC-1/5	Luna E-3 No.1	Partial Success
16.04.1960	L1-9A	Ba LC-1/5	Luna E-3 No.2	Failure

The first flight of a Luna 8K72 (September 1958), which was to launch the Luna E-1 No.1 probe, ended 92 seconds after launch when the rocket broke up from longitudinal ("pogo") oscillations, causing the strap-ons to separate from the vehicle, which then crashed downrange.^[3]

The second flight of a Luna 8K72 (October 1958), which was to launch the Luna E-1 No.2 probe, ended 104 seconds after launch when the rocket again disintegrated from vibration.

The third flight of a Luna 8K72 (December 1958), which was to launch the Luna E-1 No.3 probe, ended 245 seconds after launch when the Blok A core stage shut down from loss of engine lubricant.

The resonant vibration problem suffered by the 8K72 booster was the cause of a major argument between the Korolev and Glushko design bureaus. It was believed that the vibrations developed as a consequence of adding the Blok E upper stage to the R-7, shifting its center of mass.

The first probe launched by a Luna 8K72 to reach orbit was Luna 1, launched on 2 January 1959, which was intended as a lunar impactor mission.^[4] Luna 1 instead passed within 5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi) of the Moon's surface 4 January 1959, and then went into orbit around the Sun between the orbits of Earth and Mars.^[5]

The fifth flight of a Luna 8K72 (18 June 1959), which was to launch the Luna E-1A No.1 probe, ended 153 seconds after launch due to a guidance malfunction of the Blok A core stage, leading to engine shutdown.^[6]

Luna 2 was launched by a Luna 8K72 on 12 September 1959. It was the first spacecraft to impact the lunar surface.

The final successful launch of a Luna 8K72 took place on 4 October 1959. The Luna 3 spacecraft took the first photographs of the far side of the Moon.

The eighth flight of a Luna 8K72 (March 1960), which was to launch the Luna E-3 No.1 probe, ended 435 seconds after launch when the Blok E upper stage developed insufficient thrust, causing the Luna probe to reenter the atmosphere and burn up.

The ninth flight of a Luna 8K72 (April 1960), which was to launch the Luna E-3 No.2 probe, failed when the Blok G strap-on booster developed only 75% thrust at liftoff, breaking away from the launch vehicle, which then disintegrated, the strap-ons flying in random directions and exploding as they impacted the ground. The Blok A core stage then crashed into a salt lake.

References

^ "Soyuz - Version: Luna 8K72". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07.
^ "Vostok-L (8K72)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
^ "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. 2005-01-06.
^ "Soyuz - Soyuz Chronology". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07.
^ "Luna 1 - NSSDC ID: 1959-012A". NASA.
^ Reichl, Eugen (2017). Moskaus Mondprogramm. Paul Pietsch Verlage GmbH & Co (1. Auflage ed.). Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-613-04027-4. OCLC 987572365.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[1] "Soyuz - Version: Luna 8K72". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07.

[2] "Vostok-L (8K72)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-22.

[tent-3] "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. 2005-01-06.

[4] "Soyuz - Soyuz Chronology". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07.

[5] "Luna 1 - NSSDC ID: 1959-012A". NASA.

[6] Reichl, Eugen (2017). Moskaus Mondprogramm. Paul Pietsch Verlage GmbH & Co (1. Auflage ed.). Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-613-04027-4. OCLC 987572365.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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v t e Soviet and Russian launch vehicles
Active	Angara 1.2 A5 Soyuz-2 2.1a 2.1b 2-1v UR Proton-M
In development	Amur Irtysh Yenisei
Retired	Dnepr Energia Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M N1 R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original L M U U2 FG Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna Start-1 Tsyklon original 2 3 UR UR-500 Proton-K Rokot Strela Zenit 2 2M 3SL 3SLB 3F
Cancelled (no launch attempts)	Tsyklon-4 Proton Light Medium

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Ariane 6 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Electron Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H-IIA H3 Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 7 7A 8 11 11H LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased RS1^† Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v SSLV Starship Tianlong-2 Unha Vega C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2
In development	Antares 330 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Deca Epsilon S Eris Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 12 Miura 5 MLV Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 NGLV Nova OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R Tianlong-3 VLM Vega E Zero Zhuque 3 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard Vega original VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^†
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)