Luna 18 (Ye-8-5 №407), a Soviet automated lunar sample-return probe. Proton-K/Blok-D from Baikonur Site 81/24 lofted it on 2 September 1971; the craft reached the Moon but crashed in Mare Fecunditatis on 11 September instead of soft-landing.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- LO
- Lunar orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 5.8 T (est.)
- Flight
- 27th
- of 38 Proton / UR-500 K/D flights
- Date and time
- 2 September 1971, 13:40 UTC
- Rocket
- Proton / UR-500 K/D
- Builder
- Khrunichev
- Launch site
- 81/24 (81P), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
- Payload
- Lunar Exploration
- International designator
- 1971-073
- Launches in 1971
- 82nd of 133
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas