Luna E-3 No.1
| Mission type | Lunar flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | E-3 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 279 kilograms (615 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 April 1960, 15:06:45 UTC |
| Rocket | Luna 8K72 s/n L1-9 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
Luna E-3 No.1, sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1960A, was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1960. It was a 279-kilogram (615 lb) Luna E-3 spacecraft, the first of two to be launched, both of which were lost in launch failures. 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.