Luna (rocket)
Block E upper stage, with Luna payload | |
| Function | Small-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Size | |
| Mass | 277,000 kg (611,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | R-7 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Baikonur, Site 1/5 |
| Total launches | 9 |
| Failure | 5 |
| Partial failure | 1 |
| First flight | 23 September 1958 |
| Last flight | 16 April 1960 |
| Carries passengers or cargo | Luna probes |
| Boosters (First stage) – Block B, V, G & D | |
| No. boosters | 4 |
| Powered by | 1 × RD-107-8D74-1959 |
| Maximum thrust | 990 kN (220,000 lbf) |
| Total thrust | 3,960 kN (890,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 120 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / Kerosene |
| Second stage (core) – Block A | |
| Powered by | 1 × RD-108-8D75-1959 |
| Maximum thrust | 936.5 kN (210,500 lbf) |
| Burn time | 320 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / Kerosene |
| Third stage – Block E | |
| Powered by | 1 × RD-0105 |
| Maximum thrust | 49 kN (11,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 316 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / Kerosene |
The Luna 8K72 vehicles were carrier rockets used by the Soviet Union for nine space probe launch attempts in the Luna programme between 23 September 1958 and 16 April 1960. Like many other Soviet launchers of that era, the Luna 8K72 vehicles were derived from the R-7 Semyorka design, part of the R-7 rocket family, which was also the basis for the Vostok and modern Soyuz rockets.
The 8K72 was the first R-7 variant explicitly designed as a carrier rocket and it incorporated a few features that became standard on all later R-7 carrier rockets including thicker tank walls to support the weight of upper stages and the AVD malfunction detection system, which would terminate engine thrust if the booster's operating parameters (engine performance, electrical power, or flight trajectory) deviated from normal.