L-1 No. 13L — launch
Date in UTC
Zond 1969A was an uncrewed Soyuz 7K-L1 mission intended to fly around the Moon and return to Earth. Launched on January 20, 1969, it encountered propulsion problems during the Proton ascent and did not achieve the required trajectory. The launch escape system separated the descent module, which returned to Earth. The flight was part of the Soviet effort to test spacecraft and recovery systems for circumlunar missions.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_1969A. Original timeline Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_program. Related NASA reference: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/tent_launch.html#zond1969a.
- Category
- Launches and Flight Tests
- Mission
- L-1 No. 13L
- Organization
- Strategic Rocket Forces
- Vehicle
- Proton-K/D
- Location
- NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan
- Country
- SU
- Launch outcome
- failure
Context and qualifications
Launch code: OF. Source references: NK9810-25; AVMNLJ. Early engine shutdown
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 — Zond 1969A (opens in a new tab) — Factual synthesis based on the cited Wikipedia and NASA pages; original editorial wording. (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 — Zond 1969A (opens in a new tab)