Editing Luna 7

{{Short description|1965 crewless Soviet space probe}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  = ''Luna 7''
| image                 = Moon map Luna 17 Luna 2 Apollo 15 Surveyor 6 Surveyor 4 Luna 7 Luna 8 Luna 11.png
| image_caption         = Lunar map showing the location of ''Luna 7'' in relation to other rovers and landing sites. Lower left, on top of the scale bar

| mission_type          = Lunar lander
| operator              = Soviet space program
| COSPAR_ID             = 1965-077A 
| SATCAT                = 
| mission_duration      = 3&nbsp;days

| spacecraft_type       = [[Ye-6]]
| manufacturer          = [[OKB-1]]
| dry_mass              = 
| launch_mass           = {{Convert|1504|kg}}<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1965-077A|title = NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details}}</ref>
| power                 =

| launch_date           = {{start-date|October 4, 1965, 07:55|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC<ref name="auto"/>
| launch_rocket         = [[Molniya-M]] 8K78M<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=1965-077A|title=NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Telemetry Details|website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
| launch_site           = [[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur]] [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1|1/5]]<ref name="auto1"/>
| launch_contractor     = 
| last_contact          =

| orbit_epoch           = 
| orbit_reference       = <!--transfer orbit-->
| orbit_periapsis       = 
| orbit_apoapsis        = 
| orbit_inclination     = 
| apsis                 =

|interplanetary         = 
 {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
   |type                = lander_impact
   |object              = [[Moon|Lunar]]
   |arrival_date        = {{end-date|October 7, 1965, 22:08}}&nbsp;UTC
   |location            = {{Lunar coords and quad cat|9.8|N|47.8|W}}
 }}

| programme          = '''[[Luna programme]]'''
| previous_mission   = [[Luna 6]]
| next_mission       = [[Luna 8]]
}}
'''''Luna 7''''' (E-6 or Ye-6 series) was an [[uncrewed space mission]] of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Luna program]], also called '''Lunik 7'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WYzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA15&article_id=6935,758279|title=Lodi News-Sentinel|publisher=Lodi News-Sentinel|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tbk0AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=6090,1118593|title=The Day|publisher=The Day|via=Google Books}}</ref> 

== Mission ==
The ''Luna 7'' spacecraft was intended to achieve a soft landing on the [[Moon]]. However, due to premature retrofire and cutoff of the retrorockets, the spacecraft impacted the lunar surface in [[Oceanus Procellarum]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9kjAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10&article_id=6618,3760798|title=L'Artisan|publisher=L'Artisan|via=Google Books}}</ref>
Unlike its predecessors, Luna 7 successfully carried out its mid-course correction on October 5 on the way to the Moon, in anticipation of a soft-landing two days later. However, immediately prior to planned retro-fire during the approach to the lunar surface, the spacecraft suddenly lost [[Spacecraft attitude control|attitude control]] and failed to regain it. Automatic programmed systems then prevented the main engine from firing. As controllers observed helplessly, ''Luna 7'' plummeted to the lunar surface at a very high speed, crashing at 22:08:24 UT on October 7, 1965, west of the [[Kepler (lunar crater)|Kepler crater]], relatively near the actual intended target. Impact coordinates were {{Lunar coords and quad cat|9.8|N|47.8|W}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunar_artifact_impacts.html|title = Table of Anthropogenic Impacts and Spacecraft on the Moon}}</ref>

Later investigation indicated that the optical sensor of the [[Celestial navigation|astronavigation]] system had been set at the wrong angle and had lost sight of Earth during the critical attitude-control maneuver.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVeY7vMCtOkC&q=%22Luna+7%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA86|title=Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration|first=Brian|last=Harvey|date=August 17, 2007|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9780387739762|via=Google Books}}</ref> It was the tenth consecutive failure in the [[Ye-6]] program.

==See also==
* [[List of artificial objects on the Moon]]
* [[List of missions to the Moon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Luna/Luna.php Zarya - Luna programme chronology]

{{Luna programme}}
{{Lunar landers}}
{{Moon spacecraft}}
{{Orbital launches in 1965}}

[[Category:Luna programme|Luna 07]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1965]]
[[Category:1965 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Spacecraft that impacted the Moon]]
[[Category:1965 on the Moon]]