Yet another Soviet attempt to soft-land a Ye-6 probe on the lunar surface ended in failure when the Blok L upper stage failed to fire for the translunar injection burn. Instead, the spacecraft remained stranded in Earth orbit.

A later investigation indicated that there had been a short circuit in an inverter within the I-100 guidance system of the spacecraft (which also controlled the Blok L stage) preventing engine ignition. The spacecraft's orbit decayed five days later.

Key Dates

12 Mar 1965: Launch

Status: Unsuccessful

Fast Facts

This was the Soviet Union's 30th interplanetary launch.

A short circuit prevented engine ignition, stranding the spacecraft in Earth orbit.

The Soviet gave this Luna series spacecraft a Kosmos Earth-orbiting designation to conceal the fact it failed to make it to the Moon as planned.