Soyuz 7K-L1
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| Manufacturer | Korolev |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Applications | Carry cosmonauts around the Moon and back to Earth |
| Production | |
| Status | Canceled programme |
| Built | 15 |
| Launched | 14 |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | Soyuz 7K-OK |
| Derivatives | Soyuz 7K-LOK |
The Soyuz 7K-L1 "Zond" spacecraft was designed to launch men from the Earth to circle the Moon without going into lunar orbit in the context of the Soviet manned moon-flyby program in the Moon race. It was based on the Soyuz 7K-OK with several components stripped out to reduce the vehicle weight. The most notable modifications included the removal of the orbital module (the orbital module was replaced by a support cone and a high-gain parabolic antenna) and a reserve parachute; and the addition of the gyro platform and star navigation sensors for the far space navigation. The spacecraft was capable of carrying two cosmonauts. In the beginning, there were serious reliability problems with both the new Proton rocket, the Proton 7K-L1, and the similar new Soyuz spacecraft.
While Chief Designer Sergei Korolev had originally envisioned a manned lunar spacecraft launched in pieces by R-7 boosters and assembled in Earth orbit, the advent of Vladimir Chelomei's large UR-500 booster theoretically made it possible to do the job in a single launch. However, Chelomei also proposed his own, competing lunar spacecraft, the LK-1, and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev gave his approval in August 1964. Two months later, Khrushchev was expelled from power and Chelomei lost his principal patron. At the end of the year, Korolev revived his proposal for the Soyuz spacecraft, but concealed his true intentions by billing it as merely an Earth orbital vehicle for testing rendezvous and docking maneuvers. In October 1965, a mere three months before his death, Korolev was granted official approval for developing a manned lunar spacecraft, which would be a modified Soyuz. This would be launched towards the Moon on a UR-500 topped with the Blok D stage under development by the OKB-1 Bureau.
Korolev originally intended to piece together the lunar Soyuz in Earth orbit because he did not believe the UR-500 was powerful enough to launch the full vehicle or that it wouldn't be safe for the crew. However, when he died in January 1966, his successor as head of OKB-1, Vasily Mishin, argued that it was definitely possible to strip down the Soyuz enough to launch it with the UR-500.
With the first four unmanned test starts (see below) being partially successful or unsuccessful, including two under common open name "Kosmos" as for any Soviet test spacecraft, the mission of 2–7 March 1968 and subsequent ones were the flights of the L1 spacecraft under the open designation "Zond" that were given by Soviets for test missions to far space.
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