Molniya 8K78 | Luna-5b
Ye-6 series probe designed to land on the Moon. Failed to reach orbit.
The Molniya was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages. The 8K78 resulted from a crash program by the Korolev Bureau to develop a booster for launching planetary probes. A larger third stage was added along with a fourth stage (Blok L) that was designed to fire in-orbit to send the payload out of LEO. The basic R-7 core was also structurally strengthened and given more powerful engines. A rushed development produced multiple malfunctions of the upper stages, which led to its being replaced by the improved Molniya-M in 1964, but there were enough 8K78s left to continue flying them into 1967.
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Mission Profile
Luna-5b was a Molniya 8K78 mission operated by Soviet Space Program that lifted off from 1/5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan on April 20, 1964. The flight carried its payload on a lunar exploration mission to Lunar Orbit. It was flown as part of the Luna program. The launch ended in failure.