# Luna 8

> space probe

**Wikidata**: [Q620426](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q620426)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_8)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/luna-8

## Summary  
Luna 8 was a Soviet space probe launched in 1965 as part of the Luna programme, designed to explore the Moon. It was an unmanned robotic spacecraft intended to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface but ultimately crashed. Luna 8 followed Luna 7 and preceded Luna 9 in the series of Soviet lunar missions.

## Key Facts  
- **Launch Date**: December 3, 1965  
- **Launch Vehicle**: Molniya rocket  
- **Launch Site**: Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31  
- **COSPAR ID**: 1965-099A  
- **Mission Type**: Lunar lander (failed soft landing)  
- **Preceded By**: Luna 7  
- **Succeeded By**: Luna 9  
- **Part of Series**: Luna programme  
- **Location**: LQ10 (planned landing site)  
- **Spacecraft Catalog Number**: 01810  

## FAQs  
### Q: What was the purpose of Luna 8?  
A: Luna 8 was designed to achieve a soft landing on the Moon as part of the Soviet Union's Luna programme, but it crashed during its descent.  

### Q: How did Luna 8 fail?  
A: The probe failed to achieve a soft landing due to a malfunction during its descent, resulting in a crash on the lunar surface.  

### Q: What rocket launched Luna 8?  
A: Luna 8 was launched aboard a Molniya rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  

## Why It Matters  
Luna 8 was a critical step in the Soviet Union's efforts to achieve a controlled soft landing on the Moon, a milestone eventually accomplished by its successor, Luna 9. Although Luna 8 failed, it provided valuable data that contributed to the success of later missions. The Luna programme demonstrated the USSR's technological prowess during the Space Race and advanced our understanding of lunar exploration. Luna 8's mission highlighted the challenges of landing on the Moon, paving the way for future successes in robotic and crewed lunar exploration.  

## Notable For  
- Part of the Soviet Union's ambitious Luna programme, which aimed to explore the Moon.  
- Followed Luna 7 and preceded Luna 9, the first successful soft lunar lander.  
- Launched aboard a Molniya rocket, a workhorse of Soviet space missions.  
- Crashed during descent, underscoring the technical difficulties of lunar landings.  

## Body  
### Mission Overview  
- Luna 8 was launched on December 3, 1965, from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31.  
- It was part of the Luna programme, a series of Soviet lunar exploration missions.  

### Technical Details  
- **Launch Vehicle**: Molniya rocket  
- **COSPAR ID**: 1965-099A  
- **NSSDCA ID**: 1965-099A  
- **Planned Landing Site**: LQ10 on the Moon  

### Outcome  
- The probe failed to achieve a soft landing and crashed on the lunar surface.  
- Its failure informed improvements for Luna 9, which succeeded in landing softly in 1966.  

## Schema Markup  
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Luna 8",
  "description": "A Soviet space probe launched in 1965 as part of the Luna programme, intended to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q175990",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_8"
  ],
  "additionalType": "Space Probe"
}

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013