Mission type Mars flyby Spacecraft type Mars 1M Launch date 10 October 1960 Launch site Baikonur Cosmodrome | Mission duration Failed to orbit Launch mass 650 kg Rocket Molniya | |
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Manufacturer S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia Similar Mars 2M No522, Mars 2M No521, Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, Zond 2, Mars Astrobiology Explorer‑Cacher | ||
Mars 1M No.1, designated Mars 1960A by NASA analysts and dubbed Marsnik 1 by the Western media, was the first spacecraft launched as part of the Soviet Union's Mars programme. A Mars 1M spacecraft, it was intended to conduct a flyby of Mars, however it was lost in a launch failure before it could begin its mission.
Launch
Mars 1M No.1 was the payload of the Molniya 8K78 rocket's maiden flight. The rocket, which had serial number L1-4M, was a new derivative of the R-7 series, with a Blok-I third stage replacing the Blok-E used on the Vostok, and a new Blok-L fourth stage. The vehicle lifted off from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 14:27:49 UTC on 10 October 1960.
During second stage flight, vibrations resonating in the third stage damaged the rocket's attitude control system. As a result of this damage, the rocket went off course during third stage flight and the engines cut out five minutes and nine seconds after liftoff. The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, with debris falling over Siberia.