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Soviet Space ProgramProton / UR-500 K/D81/23 (81L), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Zond 4
Launched
March 2, 1968
Summary
Zond 4 launched on a Soviet Space Program Proton / UR-500 K/D from 81/23 (81L), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan on March 2, 1968. It was Soviet Space Program's 296th launch, 7th this year and humanity's 802nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 5th Proton / UR-500 K/D flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for High Earth Orbit (HEO). Zond-4, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 199 × 283 km orbit inclined 51.6°. The spacecraft was Soyuz 7K-L1 No.6 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #6). 4 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Proton / UR-500 K/D · Soviet Space ProgramSoyuz
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Test Flight · High Earth Orbit (HEO)
- Milestone
- 5th Proton / UR-500 K/D flight · 1st this yearSoviet Space Program's 296th launch7th this yearhumanity's 802nd orbital launch attempt14th orbital launch attempt this year
Spacecraft
Soyuz 7K-L1 No.6 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #6)
The Soyuz 7K-L1 "Zond" spacecraft was designed to launch men from the Earth to circle the Moon without going into lunar orbit in the context of the Soviet crewed Moon-flyby program in the Moon race. It was based on the Soyuz 7K-OK.
- Destination: Low Earth Orbit
- Mission length: 4 days 5 hours
The Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft was intentionally blown up when a failure of the re-entry guidance system prevented it from generatic lift and bouncing off the atmosphere, initiating a ballistic re-entry outside Soviet soil.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Zond-4 · NORAD 3134 · 1968-013 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 4 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ZOND 4
- Object ID
- 1968-013A
- Epoch
- 1968-03-02 19:46:59 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.14830615 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0063842
- Inclination
- 51.6207°
- Ascending node
- 87.1153°
- Arg. of perigee
- 115.0915°
- Mean anomaly
- 245.6648°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: HEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
4 catalogued: 1 payload, 3 components
- Zond-4 · NORAD 3134 · left Earth orbit March 2, 1968
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Zond 4 was the first Soyuz 7K-L1 to reach a deep-space trajectory, sent to an apogee of about 400,000 km in the direction opposite the Moon to test the capsule and its Argon 11 computer. A guidance failure prevented the planned skip reentry and the capsule was blown up by its destruct system over the Gulf of Guinea.
Pad
81/23 (81L), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
8th launch from 81/23 (81L), 1st this year · 206th from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
104 launches from this pad · 1,565 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
156 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of KazakhstanOpen in maps
Questions
When did Zond 4 launch?
Zond 4 launched on March 2, 1968. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Zond 4?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Zond 4?
Proton / UR-500 K/D, flown by Soviet Space Program. Proton / UR-500 K/D spec sheet
Where did Zond 4 launch from?
81/23 (81L), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan.
What orbit did Zond 4 reach?
Zond-4, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 199 × 283 km orbit inclined 51.6°.
Which program is Zond 4 part of?
Soyuz. About Soyuz