LK (spacecraft)
The LK (Russian: ЛК, from Russian: Лунный корабль, romanized: Lunniy korabyl, lit. 'lunar craft'; GRAU index: 11F94) was a lunar module (lunar lander designed for human spaceflight) developed in the 1960s as a part of several Soviet crewed lunar programs. Its role was analogous to the American Apollo Lunar Module (LM). Three LK modules, of the T2K variant, were flown without crew in Earth orbit, but no LK ever reached the Moon. The development of the N1 launch vehicle required for the lunar flight suffered setbacks (including several launch failures), and the first Moon landings were achieved by US astronauts on Apollo 11. As a result, having lost the Space Race, both the N1 and the LK programs were cancelled without any further development.
LK-3 test unit | |
| Manufacturer | OKB-586 |
|---|---|
| Designer | Mikhail Yangel |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Applications | Crewed lunar landing |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Lunar module |
| Launch mass | 5,560 to 6,525 kg |
| Crew capacity | 1 (2 on later variant) |
| Dimensions | 5.20 to 5.8 m high 4.50 m wide overall, landing gear deployed |
| Volume | 5 m3 |
| Power | N2O4/UDMH |
| Batteries | Equipped |
| Regime | Lunar orbit |
| Design life | 48 hours |
| Production | |
| Status | Canceled |
| Built | Several |
| Launched | 3 (T2K variant) |
| Maiden launch | Kosmos 379 (T2K variant) |
| Last launch | Kosmos 434 (T2K variant) |
| Last retirement | |
| Blok E (Lunar descent/ascent) | |
| Powered by | 11D410 |
| Maximum thrust | 20 kN (4,500 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 315 s (3.09 km/s) |
| Propellant | UDMH/N2O4 |
| Configuration | |
LK components: 1) passive plate of the docking system, 2) attitude control nozzles, 3) orbital rendezvous window, 4) landing window (in a concave recess), 5) high-gain antennas, 6) solid-fuel "nesting" engines, 7) footpads, 8) omnidirectional antenna, 9) rendezvous radar, A) pressurized compartment, B) equipment compartment, C) hatch, D) batteries, E) engine and fuel tanks, G) ladder | |