Zond 3

Zond 3
Mission type	Lunar science
Operator	OKB-1
COSPAR ID	1965-056A
SATCAT no.	01454
Mission duration	228 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	3MV-4
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	950 kg (2,090 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	July 18, 1965, 14:32 UTC
Rocket	Molniya SL-6/A-2-e
Launch site	Baikonur LC-1/5
End of mission
Last contact	March 3, 1966
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Heliocentric
Eccentricity	0.2683
Perihelion altitude	0.9 AU (130 million km)
Aphelion altitude	1.56 AU (233 million km)
Inclination	0.5°
Period	500 days
Epoch	July 19, 1965, 20:00 UTC
Flyby of Moon
Closest approach	July 20, 1965
Distance	9,219 km (5,728 mi)
Instruments
	f/8, 106.4 mm focal length camera
	Ultraviolet (0.25–0.35 µm) spectrograph
	Ultraviolet (0.19–0.27 µm) spectrophotometer
	Infrared (3–4 µm) spectrophotometer
	Micrometeoroid detector
	Radiation sensors (gas-discharge and scintillation counters)
	Zond program

Zond 3 was a 1965 space probe which performed a flyby of the Moon's far side, taking a number of quality photographs for its time. It was a member of the Soviet Zond program while also being part of the Mars 3MV project. It was unrelated to Zond spacecraft designed for crewed circumlunar missions (Soyuz 7K-L1). It is believed that Zond 3 was initially designed as a companion spacecraft to Zond 2 to be launched to Mars during the 1964 launch window. The opportunity to launch was missed, and the spacecraft was launched on a Mars-crossing trajectory as a spacecraft test, even though Mars was no longer attainable.

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