Courtesy of NASA's National Space Science Data Center
Launch Date/Time: 1966-08-24 at 08:09:00 UTC Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R. Launch Vehicle: Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage +
Escape Stage On-orbit dry mass: 3,616.00 kg. (7,955 lb.)
Description
Luna 11 was launched towards the Moon from an earth-orbiting platform and
entered lunar orbit on August 28, 1966. The objectives of the mission
included the study of: (1) lunar gamma- and X-ray emissions in order to
determine the Moon's chemical composition; (2) lunar gravitational
anomalies; (3) the concentration of meteorite streams near the Moon; and,
(4) the intensity of hard corpuscular radiation near the Moon. A total of
137 radio transmissions and 277 orbits of the Moon were completed before the
batteries failed on October 1, 1966.
Space History