Kosmos 300

Kosmos 300
A Ye-8-5 model in the Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow.
Mission typeLunar sample-return
OperatorSoviet space program
COSPAR ID1969-080A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.4104
Mission duration4 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeYe-8-5
ManufacturerGSMZ Lavochkin
Launch mass5,600 kg (12,300 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch dateSeptember 23, 1969, 14:07:00 (1969-09-23UTC14:07Z) UTC[2]
RocketProton-K/D
Launch siteBaikonur 81/24
End of mission
DisposalLaunch failure
Decay dateSeptember 27, 1969
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric[2]
Perigee altitude184 km (114 mi)
Apogee altitude189 km (117 mi)
Inclination51.5°
Period88.2 min

Kosmos 300 (Russian: Космос 300 meaning Cosmos 300) (Ye-8-5 series) was the fourth Soviet attempt at an uncrewed lunar sample return. It was probably similar in design to the later Luna 16 spacecraft. It was launched, on a Proton rocket, on September 23, 1969.[3] The mission was a failure. The engines on the Block D upper stage failed due to an oxidizer leak, leaving the spacecraft to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Cosmos 300". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b Mark Wade. "Luna Ye-8-5". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Luna - Exploring the Moon". orbitalfocus.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  4. ^ Asif Siddiqi (2018). Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016 (PDF) (second ed.). NASA History Program Office. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-626-83043-1.


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