LK-700
LK-700 was a Soviet direct ascent lunar lander program proposed in 1964. It was developed by Vladimir Chelomey as an alternative to the N1-L3 program. It was also a further development of the LK-1 lunar flyby spacecraft.
It would have been launched using the proposed UR-700 rocket with a crew of three cosmonauts on a direct flight to the lunar surface and back.
The direct landing approach would allow the Soviets to land anywhere on the moon's nearside. The program was canceled in 1974.Mission profile
Uncrewed flights would be followed by crewed flights. The proposed schedule was:
Following initial LK-700 landings, the more ambitious Lunar Expeditionary Complex would be delivered to the surface in three UR-700 launches:
- Launch 1: lunar station to enable a six-month stay
- Launch 2: LK-700 with crew
- Launch 3: large rover
Characteristics
- Crew size: 3
- Orbital storage: 45 days
- Spacecraft delta v: 9,061 m/s
- Gross mass: 154,000 kg
- Height: 21.20 m
- Span: 2.70 m
- Thrust: 131.40 kN
- Specific impulse: 326 s
