# Mars 5

> space probe

**Wikidata**: [Q1065662](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1065662)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_5)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mars-5

## Summary
Mars 5 is a Soviet-era space probe and artificial satellite operated and manufactured by NPO Lavochkin. It was launched on 25 July 1973 aboard a Proton-K rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24, listed with COSPAR ID 1973-049A, became associated with Mars beginning 12 February 1974, and was retired on 28 February 1974 due to a technical failure.

## Key Facts
- Mars 5 is classified as a space probe and an artificial satellite.  
- Operator and manufacturer: NPO Lavochkin.  
- Launch date: 1973-07-25.  
- Launch vehicle: Proton-K.  
- Launch site / start point: Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24.  
- COSPAR ID: 1973-049A; NSSDCA ID: 1973-049A.  
- Parent astronomical body recorded as Mars from 1974-02-12.  
- Service retirement: 1974-02-28, cause listed as technical failure.  
- SCN (spacecraft catalog number): 06754.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0swlb3w.  
- Image (Commons): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Mars_4-5.jpg

## FAQs
### Q: What is Mars 5?
A: Mars 5 is a Soviet-era unmanned space probe and artificial satellite built and operated by NPO Lavochkin, launched in 1973 to the Mars system.

### Q: When and where was Mars 5 launched?
A: Mars 5 was launched on 25 July 1973 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24 using a Proton-K launch vehicle.

### Q: What happened to Mars 5?
A: Mars 5 was retired on 28 February 1974; the retirement is recorded as caused by a technical failure.

### Q: How is Mars 5 identified in catalogues?
A: It carries COSPAR ID 1973-049A and NSSDCA ID 1973-049A and has SCN 06754.

## Why It Matters
Mars 5 is a documented example of Soviet-era Mars exploration hardware and program activity. As a probe built and operated by NPO Lavochkin and launched on a Proton-K rocket, it represents the technical and organizational approach of its time to interplanetary missions. Its recorded association with Mars beginning 12 February 1974 places it within the historical sequence of missions targeting the Martian system. The probe's relatively short recorded service life, ending on 28 February 1974 due to a technical failure, provides a concrete case for the risks and failure modes faced by early robotic exploration. For researchers, historians, and mission designers, Mars 5 is therefore relevant both as a traceable catalogue entry (COSPAR and NSSDCA identifiers) and as a data point in analyses of mission lifetimes, launch vehicle use (Proton-K), and the operational history of NPO Lavochkin in planetary exploration.

## Notable For
- Being a Soviet-built space probe and artificial satellite operated and manufactured by NPO Lavochkin.  
- Launch on 1973-07-25 from Baikonur Site 81/24 using a Proton-K rocket.  
- Recorded association with Mars starting 1974-02-12.  
- Short documented service life, with retirement on 1974-02-28 due to technical failure.  
- Catalogued under COSPAR ID 1973-049A and SCN 06754.

## Body

### Overview
- Name: Mars 5.  
- Instance of: space probe; artificial satellite.  
- Operator: NPO Lavochkin.  
- Manufacturer: NPO Lavochkin.  
- Primary catalog identifiers: COSPAR ID 1973-049A; NSSDCA ID 1973-049A; SCN 06754.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0swlb3w.  
- Commons image available: Mars_4-5.jpg (link above).

### Launch and timeline
- Launch date and event: Rocket launch on 1973-07-25 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24.  
- Launch vehicle: Proton-K.  
- Significant event entry records the rocket launch with location Baikonur Site 81/24 and point in time 1973-07-25.  
- Parent astronomical body: Mars, with a recorded start time of 1974-02-12.  
- Service retirement date: 1974-02-28, with the qualifier that retirement was due to a technical failure.

### Classification and identifiers
- Classified as both a space probe and an artificial satellite in source data.  
- COSPAR ID: 1973-049A — used for international cataloguing of space objects.  
- NSSDCA ID mirrors the COSPAR ID as 1973-049A in the provided records.  
- SCN (spacecraft catalog number): 06754.  
- Freebase identifier provided for cross-referencing: /m/0swlb3w.

### Operator, manufacturer, and launch vehicle
- Operator: NPO Lavochkin (listed as both operator and manufacturer).  
- Manufacturer: NPO Lavochkin.  
- Launch vehicle used: Proton-K, a Russian/Soviet carrier rocket class noted in related structured data.

### End of service
- Official service retirement recorded on 1974-02-28.  
- Retirement reason annotated as "technical failure" in the structured properties.

### References and metadata
- Wikipedia title in source: Mars 5.  
- Sitelink count in source: 28.  
- Language availability noted for multiple Wikipedias (ar, bg, cs, de, en, es, eu, fa, fr, gl).

## References

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