Luna 23
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| Organization: | Soviet Union |
| Major Contractors: | GSMZ Lavochkin |
| Mission Type: | Planetary Science Lunar Sample Return |
| Satellite of: | Moon |
| Launch: | October 28, 1974 at 14:30:32 UTC |
| Launch Vehicle: | Proton 8K82K + Blok D |
| Mission Highlight: | Landed on moon November 6, 1974 at ~12° N - ~62° E. Failed to return sample. |
| Mission Duration: | 12-days November 9, 1974 |
| Mass: | 5,800 kg |
| NSSDC ID: | 1974-084A |
| Webpage: | NASA NSSDC Master Catalog |
| Orbital elements | |
|---|---|
| Semimajor Axis: | 6,476.8 km |
| Eccentricity: | ? |
| Inclination: | 138° |
| Orbital Period: | ~119 minutes |
| Apogee: | 104 km |
| Perigee: | 94 km |
| Orbits: | ~48 |
| Entered Lunar orbit: | November 2, 1974 |
| Lunar Landing: | November 6, 1974 |
| Landing coordinates: |
~12° N - ~62° E. |
| Instruments | |
| Stereo imaging system : | Lunar photography |
| Improved drill/arm sample collector : | collect lunar material |
| Radiation detector : | Lunar radiation environment |
| Radio-altimeter : | |
Luna 23 (Ye-8-5M series) was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunnik 23. Luna 23 was a Moon lander mission which was intended to return a lunar sample to Earth. Launched to the Moon by a Proton SL-12/D-1-e booster, the spacecraft was damaged during landing in Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises). The sample collecting apparatus could not operate and no samples were returned. The lander continued transmissions for 3 days after landing. In 1976, Luna 24 landed several hundred meters away and successfully returned samples.
Luna 23 was the first modified lunar sample return spacecraft, designed to return a deep core sample of the Moon’s surface (hence the change in index from Ye-8-5 to Ye-8-5M). While Luna 16 and 20 had returned samples from a depth of 0.3 meters, the new spacecraft was designed to dig to 2.5 meters. After a midcourse correction on 31 October, Luna 23 entered orbit around the Moon on 2 November 1974. Parameters were 104 x 94 kilometers at 138° inclination. Following several more changes to the orbit, the spacecraft descended to the lunar surface on 6 November and landed in the southernmost portion of Mare Crisium. Landing coordinates were 13° north latitude and 62° east longitude. During landing in “unfavorable” terrain, the lander’s drilling device was evidently damaged, preventing fulfillment of the primary mission, the return of lunar soil to Earth. Scientists devised a makeshift plan to conduct a limited science exploration program with the stationary lander. Controllers maintained contact with the spacecraft until 9 November 1974.
- Launch Date/Time: 1974-10-28 at 14:30:32 UTC
- On-orbit dry mass: 5600 kg
| Preceded by Luna 22 |
Luna programme | Succeeded by Luna 1975A |
| Luna programme |
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| Luna 1958A | Luna 1958B | Luna 1958C | Luna 1 | Luna 1959A | Luna 2 | Luna 3 | Luna 1960A | Luna 1960B | Sputnik 25 | Luna 1963B | Luna 4 | Luna 1964A | Luna 1964B | Cosmos 60 | Luna 1965A | Luna 5 | Luna 6 | Luna 7 | Luna 8 | Luna 9 | Cosmos 111 | Luna 10 | Luna 1966A | Luna 11 | Luna 12 | Luna 13 | Luna 1968A | Luna 14 | Luna 1969A | Luna 1969B | Luna 1969C | Luna 15 | Cosmos 300 | Cosmos 305 | Luna 1970A | Luna 1970B | Luna 16 | Luna 17 | Luna 18 | Luna 19 | Luna 20 | Luna 21 | Luna 22 | Luna 23 | Luna 1975A | Luna 24 | ||||
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