Kosmos 305

Kosmos 305 (Russian: Космос 305 meaning Cosmos 305) (Ye-8-5 series) was the fifth Soviet attempt at an uncrewed lunar sample return. It was probably similar in design to the Luna 16 spacecraft. It was launched, on a Proton rocket, on October 22, 1969.^[3] The engines on the Block D upper stage failed, terminating the mission. This left the spacecraft stranded in Earth orbit. It re-entered within two days.^[4]

Kosmos 305

A Ye-8-5 model in the Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow.
Operator	Soviet space program
COSPAR ID	1969-092A
SATCAT no.	4150
Mission duration	2 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Ye-8-5
Manufacturer	GSMZ Lavochkin
Launch mass	5,600 kg (12,300 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	October 22, 1969, 14:09:00 (1969-10-22UTC14:09Z) UTC[2]
Rocket	Proton-K/D
Launch site	Baikonur 81/24
End of mission
Disposal	Launch failure
Decay date	October 24, 1969
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric[2]
Perigee altitude	182 km (113 mi)
Apogee altitude	208 km (129 mi)
Inclination	51.4°
Period	88.4 min
Luna programme ← Kosmos 300 Luna 1970A → Kosmos (satellites) ← Kosmos 304 Kosmos 306 →