Mission Summary
Zond 6 was a Soviet mission designed to test the technology needed to send humans around the Moon and return them safely to Earth. Launched on November 10, 1968, the spacecraft followed the same general path planned for future crewed lunar flyby missions using the Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft design.
Zond 6 flew around the Moon on November 14, 1968, taking photographs of the lunar surface and testing navigation, communications, guidance, and reentry systems. Unlike earlier lunar probes, the mission’s goal was not only exploration but proving that a spacecraft could survive the complete journey from Earth, around the Moon, and back.
The spacecraft successfully returned to Earth on November 17, 1968, but a cabin pressure failure and parachute malfunction caused it to crash during landing. Despite the failed recovery, Zond 6 returned valuable data and was an important test in the Soviet effort to achieve human lunar flight.
Sources and notes can be found on the Sources page.
