Operator Soviet Union Spacecraft type T2K Start date November 24, 1970 | COSPAR ID 1970-099A Rocket Soyuz-L | |
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Launch mass 7,495 kilograms (16,524 lb) Launch date 24 November 1970, 11:00:00 (1970-11-24UTC11Z) UTC | ||
Kosmos 379 (Russian: Космос 379 meaning "Cosmos 379") was a test of the LK Lander (the Soviet counterpart of the Apollo LEM).
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Mission
Earth orbit simulated propulsion system operations of a nominal lunar landing mission. Kosmos 379 entered a 192 to 232 km orbit. After three days fired its motor to simulate hover and touchdown on the moon, because of the burn in earth orbit the apogee increased to 1210 km. After a simulated stay on the Moon, it increased its speed by 1.5 km/s, simulating ascent to lunar orbit making the final apogee 14,035 km. These main maneuvers were followed by a series of small adjustments simulating rendezvous and docking with the Soyuz 7K-L3. The LK lander tested out without major problems and decayed from orbit on September 21, 1983.