Zond 5
Zond 5 was the first successful circumlunar mission. The uncrewed 7K-L1 passed behind the Moon, photographed Earth and the lunar surface, and returned a biological payload that included two steppe tortoises.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Zond-57K-L1 No. 9L mission1968-076A
- Name
- Zond 5
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Zond 5 was the first successful circumlunar mission. The uncrewed 7K-L1 passed behind the Moon, photographed Earth and the lunar surface, and returned a biological payload that included two steppe tortoises.
- End Date
- 1968-09-21
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Successful circumlunar flight and recovery, with a guidance failure forcing a high-load ballistic splashdown in the Indian Ocean rather than the planned Soviet land landing.
- Start Date
- 1968-09-14
- Vehicle Families
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 29, 2026 at 22:43:57 UTC
- Updated Time
- July 29, 2026 at 22:43:57 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Programs
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles