Engineering:List of Proton launches (1965–69)

This is a list of launches made by the Proton rocket between 1965 and 1969. All launches were conducted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The list includes the first five launches, which were conducted under the designations UR-500 and UR-500K, before the selection of the name Proton.

Launches

Date/Time (UTC)		Configuration	Serial number	Launch pad	Outcome
		Payload	Separation orbit	Operator	Function
		Remarks
1965
16 July 1965 11:16		UR-500 8K82	107207-01	Site 81/23	Successful
		Proton 1 (N-4 #1)	Low Earth		Particle research
		Maiden flight of UR-500 8K82
2 November 1965 12:28		UR-500 8K82	UR500-209	Site 81/23	Successful
		Proton 2 (N-4 #2)	Low Earth		Particle research
1966
24 March 1966 21:00		UR-500 8K82	UR500-211	Site 81/23	Failure
		N-4 #3	Low Earth (intended)		Particle research
		2nd stage engine failure T+122 seconds. Suspected collision with the first stage following separation.
6 July 1966 12:57		UR-500 8K82	UR500-212	Site 81/23	Successful
		Proton 3 (N-4 #4)	Low Earth		Particle research
		Final flight of UR-500 8K82
1967
10 March 1967 11:30		UR-500K/D 8K82K/11S824	107227-01	Site 81/23	Successful
		Kosmos 146 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #2P)	Highly elliptical		Spacecraft test
		Maiden flight of UR-500K 8K82K (later Proton-K), first Proton launch with an upper stage
8 April 1967 09:00		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	228-01	Site 81/23	Failure
		Kosmos 154 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #3P)	Highly elliptical (intended) Low Earth (achieved)		Spacecraft test
		Premature separation of fourth stage ullage motors
27 September 1967 22:11		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	229-01	Site 81/23	Failure
		Soyuz 7K-L1 #4L	Highly elliptical (intended)		Spacecraft test
		#1 first stage engine failed to start at liftoff due to a loose plug. Automatic shutdown commanded at T+97 seconds. The LES pulled the L1 descent module to safety.
22 November 1967 19:07		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	230-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Soyuz 7K-L1 #5L	Highly elliptical (intended)		Spacecraft test
		First launch from Site 81/24. Second stage engine failure due to improper start sequence. Automatic shutdown commanded at T+125 seconds. The LES pulled the L1 descent module to safety.
1968
2 March 1968 22:11		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	231-01	Site 81/23	Successful
		Zond 4 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #6L)	Highly elliptical		Spacecraft test
		Spacecraft later failed
22 April 1968 23:01		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	232-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Soyuz 7K-L1 #7L	Highly elliptical (intended)		Spacecraft test
		LES malfunction trigged an unintended second stage shutdown. Spacecraft descent module successfully recovered.
14 September 1968 21:42		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	234-01	Site 81/23	Successful
		Zond 5 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #9L)	Highly elliptical		Spacecraft test
10 November 1968 19:11		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	235-01	Site 81/23	Successful
		Zond 6 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #12L)	Highly elliptical		Spacecraft test
		Spacecraft later failed
16 November 1968 11:40		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	236-01	Site 81/24	Successful
		Proton 4 (N-6 #1)	Low Earth		Cosmic ray research
		First Proton-K launch without an upper stage
1969
20 January 1969 04:14		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	237-01	Site 81/23	Failure
		Soyuz 7K-L1 #13L	Highly elliptical (intended)		Spacecraft test
		#3 second stage engine failed due to rotor imbalance. The other three engines managed to complete second stage burn successfully, but the third stage then failed due to a propellant feed malfunction. The spacecraft was detached and successfully recovered.
19 February 1969 06:48		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	239-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Luna E-8 #201	Highly elliptical (intended)		Lunar lander
		Payload fairing broke up T+51 seconds. First stage exploded after flying debris ruptured the propellant tanks. Spacecraft was to have deployed a Lunokhod rover
27 March 1969 10:40		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	240-01	Site 81/23	Failure
		Mars-2M #521	Heliocentric (intended)		Mars orbiter
		Third stage engine failure due to rotor imbalance.
2 April 1969 10:33		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	233-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Mars-2M #522	Heliocentric (intended)		Mars orbiter
		Missing drain plug caused a first stage engine failure and thrust section fire at liftoff. Booster impacted the ground 40 seconds after launch.
14 June 1969 04:00		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	238-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Luna E-8-5 #402	Highly elliptical (intended)		Lunar sample return
		Blok D ignition failure
13 July 1969 02:54		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	242-01	Site 81/24	Successful
		Luna 15 (Luna E-8-5 #401)	Highly elliptical		Lunar sample return
		Spacecraft later failed
7 August 1969 23:48		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	243-01	Site 81/23	Successful
		Zond 7 (Soyuz 7K-L1 #11)	Highly elliptical		Spacecraft test
23 September 1969 14:07		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	244-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Kosmos 300 (Luna E-8-5 #403)	Highly elliptical (intended) Low Earth (achieved)		Lunar sample return
		Blok D failure due to defective LOX valve
22 October 1969 14:09		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	241-01	Site 81/24	Failure
		Kosmos 305 (Luna E-8-5 #404)	Highly elliptical (intended) Low Earth (achieved)		Lunar sample return
		Upper control system malfunctioned
28 November 1969 09:00		Proton-K/D 8K82K/11S824	245-01	Site 81/23	Failure
		Soyuz 7K-L1E #1	Medium Earth (intended)		Test flight
		Third stage engine failure T+556 seconds due to resonant vibration causing the rupture of a propellant feed line.

References

• McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt. Retrieved 25 April 2010. 
• McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt. Retrieved 25 April 2010. 
• Wade, Mark. "Proton". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/proton.htm. Retrieved 25 April 2010.