2MV-1 No. 2 — launch
Date in UTC
Venera 2MV-1 No.2, also known as Sputnik 20 in the Western world, was a Soviet spacecraft, which was launched in 1962 as part of the Venera programme. Due to a problem with its upper stage it failed to leave low Earth orbit, and reentered the atmosphere a few days later. It was the second of two Venera 2MV-1 spacecraft, both of which failed to leave Earth orbit. The previous mission, Venera 2MV-1 No.1, was launched several days earlier. Venera 2MV-1 No.2 was launched at 02:12:30 UTC on 1 September 1962, atop a Molniya 8K78 carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The lower stages of the rocket operated nominally, injecting the fourth stage and payload into a low Earth orbit.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_20. Original timeline Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_program. Related NASA reference: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/chronology.html#1962. Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
- Category
- Launches and Flight Tests
- Type
- Orbital launch
- Subjects
- Space transportation
- Mission
- 2MV-1 No. 2
- Organization
- Strategic Rocket Forces
- Vehicle
- Molniya 8K78
- Location
- NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan
- Country
- SU
- Outcome
- Partially successful
Context and qualifications
Launch code: OF40. Source references: NK9701-29; -. Fuel valve stuck
Sources and attribution
- Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)
- Wikipedia — Sputnik 20 (opens in a new tab) — Adapted from Wikipedia contributors; selected sentences retained and edited for length, reference markers and pronunciation glosses. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Article and edit history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_20 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Original Wikipedia link from NSE timeline (opens in a new tab) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA — Sputnik 20 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA NSSDCA — Sputnik 20 (opens in a new tab)
