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Mission record

Luna 6

Also known as Lunik 6, Luna6, Ye-6 no.7

U.S.S.R · Launched

Explore trajectory

Failed · Failure

Luna 6 was an attempted lunar soft landing mission of the Soviet Ye-6 series, similar to the Luna 5 design. During the mid-course correction the main retro-rocket failed to cut off and fired until its propellant was exhausted, putting the spacecraft on a trajectory that missed the Moon by 161,000 km before contact was lost.

Destinations
Moon
Launch vehicle
Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage
Launch site
Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Countries
Soviet Union
Mission types
Lander

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Luna 6 launched

    Earth

  2. Milestone

    Main retro-rocket failed to cut off during the mid-course correction

    Moon

  3. Flyby

    Luna 6 flew by the Moon at a distance of 161,000 km

    Moon

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Luna 6 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Moon

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

No verified trajectory dataset is committed for this mission, so Mission Atlas renders no path.

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through August 24, 2026