Luna_1960A
Luna E-3 No.1
Soviet lunar spacecraft lost in launch failure
Luna E-3 No.1,[1] sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1960A,[2] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1960. It was a 279-kilogram (615 lb) Luna E-3 spacecraft,[3] the first of two to be launched,[4] both of which were lost in launch failures.[4] It was intended to fly around the Moon on a circumlunar trajectory in order to image the surface of the Moon, including the far side. The E-3 spacecraft were similar in design to the E-2A which had been used for the earlier Luna 3 mission. However, they carried higher resolution cameras, and were intended to make closer flybys.