Planned Schedule
As of 1967, the Soyuz 7K-L1 launch schedule was:
Mission
- 2P -Develop Block D stage -Feb or Mar 67
- 3P -same -Mar 67
- 4L -Unmanned lunar flyby -May 67 (actually launched on September 27, 1967, booster failure)
- 5L -Unmanned lunar flyby -Jun 67 (actually launched on November 22, 1967, booster failure)
- 6L -Manned lunar flyby -Jun or Jul 67
- 7L&8L -Manned lunar flybys -Aug 67 (7L actually launched on April 23, 1968 as Zond 1968A, booster failure; 8L actually launched on July 21, 1968, booster explosion)
- 9L&10L -Manned lunar flybys -Sep 67 (10L planned to launch as Zond 9, cancelled)
- 11L&12L -Manned lunar flybys -Oct 67
- 13L -Reserve spacecraft (actually launched on January 20, 1969 as Zond 1969A, booster failure;)
In July 1968 it was proposed that L1 spacecraft would be launched every month, and the first manned mission would be in December 1968 or January 1969 after 3-4 successful unmanned flights. In December 1969 dates for three manned L1 missions were set to March, May, and July 1969. Finally, in September 1969 one manned L1 mission was formally set for April 1970.
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Famous quotes containing the word planned:
“Once I planned to write a book of poems entirely about the things in my pocket. But I found it would be too long; and the age of the great epics is past.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)