1 day / second
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Zond 5
Spacecraft
The first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and return safely to Earth in 1968, carrying a biological payload including two tortoises, wine flies, meal worms, plants, seeds, and bacteria.
Key Facts
organization | USSR |
orbital regime | Inner System |
learn more | Wikipedia |
launched | 1968-09-14 |
returned | 1968-09-21 |
launch mass | 5,375 kg |
Mission Timeline
Launched
September 14, 1968 at 21:42 UTC
Luna (The Moon)
Flyby
Zond 5 became the first spacecraft to circle the Moon and return safely to Earth, carrying turtles, wine flies, mealworms, plants, seeds and bacteria on its historic 6-day circumlunar journey in September 1968.
Returned
September 21, 1968 at 16:08 UTC
After a 6-day circumlunar mission, the spacecraft safely returned to Earth with its biological payload of two tortoises, making it the first mission to carry living creatures around the Moon and return them safely.
