EXCERPT OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Lunik on Loan: A Space Age Spy Story
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06814956
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: October 10, 2019
• Document Release Date: October 17, 2019
• Publication Date: October 15, 1959

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rONFOENTIAL
CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY
SUMMARY
COPY NO. 56
OCI NO. 5013/59
15 October 1959
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
15 October 1959
PART I (continued)
SOVIET SPACE PROBE - LUNIK III
It is becoming increasingly clear that the third
Soviet lunar probe, launched on 3 October, has not fol-
lowed the orbit predicted in early Soviet releases which
would have surveyed the moon's "far side" at approximately
6,000 miles altitude. It is not yet clear whether Lunik
III circled the moon or returned on the same side as it
approached; however, on 10 October the probe reached a
point some 291,000 miles from earth from where 90 percent
of the "far side" of the moon was observable and at a time
when the area was illuminated by the sun. Lunik III is
returning toward the earth and is expected to have a
highly eccentric orbit of 15.5 days' duration.
--SEGRET-
ii
Page 7
THE WEEK IN BRIEF
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
15.0dtOberl.1959
V
SOVIET SPACE PROBE - LUNIK III
The USSR launched its
approached closest to the moon
third lunar rocket--Lunik III
at
1016 on 6
Ootober, about'
--on 3 October. According to
twd
half 'days later.
Moscow announcements, Lunik III
The
original announcement stated
SfiC-ftt
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
15 October 1959
that this experiment was part
of the Soviet program for outer-
space exploration and prepara-
tion for interplanetary flight.
Lunik III has been variously
referred to in Soviet announce-
ments as an "automatic inter-
YINICU LAUNCHED
3 OCTOBER
wivsictu
SOVIET LUNIK III ORBIT
ESTIMATED MIMIC III
ORIIIT 13 1/2 DAYS
9100C
planetary station," an "auto-
matic observatory," and an "auto-
matic flying laboratory."
Early Soviet an-
nouncements indicated.
it was intended to
pass around the moon
and return to the
vicinity of the earth,
but there is consid-
erable evidence that
Lunik III is not per-
forming as Soviet
scientists announced.
Instrumentation
Little informa-
tion is available
concerning the actual
instrumentation sys-
tems carried. It ap-
pears that part of
the instrumentation
was contained in the
final stage rocket
which separated from
the "automatic inter-
planetary station,"
shortly after enter-
ing orbit. Major emphasis in
early news releases was given
to the recording of data--pos-
sibly to include securing an
image of the constantly hidden
side of the moon and relaying it
to earth by radio.
Although the press has con-
stantly used the word "photo-
graph" in referring to the capa-
bility of Lunik III, the original
Russian announcement used words
signifying "to record" and "print"
or "copy," rather than the usual
verb meaning "to
photograph." TASS
later claimed that
its 6 October state-
ment concerning
photography was un-
founded, which sug-
gests an attempt to
retreat from the
earlier stated capa-
bility--possibly be-
cause of the failure
of certain systems
aboard the probe or
because the probe was not fol-
lowing its intended path around
the moon,
12 OCT
0.01.1.51.
SEC
SOVIET LUNAR VEHICLES
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS
CHARACTERISTIC.
LUNDE I LUNIK II LUNIK III
Date of launch 2 Jan 59 12 Sept 59
Empty weight of final stage (lbs.) 3,245 3,332
Total payload weight (lbs.) 797 860
Gross weight of separating 397 Unknown
Instrumentation probe (lbs.)
Estimated instrumentation weight 400 Unknown 345
remaining with powered final
stage (lbs.)
Increase in payload weight over
Lunik I (lbs.)
Structure weight minus payload (lbs.)
Length and diameter of last
stage (ft.)
Diameter of instrument capsule (ft.)
Shane
3 Oct 59
3,424
959
613
63 162
2,448 2,472 2,465
17.5 x 8.5 Unknown Unknown
2.7 Unknown Unknown
Spherical Spherical Unknown
>Pi
15 OCTOBER 1959
The USSR has announced that
data transmissions would be
made on 39.986 and 183.6 mega-
cycles. Clarification has not
yet been made as to which of
the orbiting bodies is trans-
mitting on 39.986 megacycles.
ET
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
15 October 1959
The 183.6-megacycle transmis-
sion is stated to be associated
with the "station." Measure-
ments of temperature and cosmic
ray phenomena are probably in-
cluded among other as-yet-unan-
nounced measurements. The in-
ternal power supply for the in-
strumentation and communications
links consists of both chemical
and solar batteries. It was
stated that communications
would be programed only at def-
inite intervals- from two to
four hours each day in conform-
ity with the program of observa-
tions.
Transmissions thus far de-
tected have occurred only while
the "station" has been within
the radio horizon of Soviet
ground stations, thus restrict-
ing the reception by Western
stations, Jodrell Bank in the
UK being the sole exception.
Other observation facilities
have had no intercept success
up to the present time.
Configuration
Although there has been a
progressive increase in total
and payload weights from Lunik
I to Lunik III, all three are
believed to have had essentially
the same configuration. Visual
examination of the model of the
Lunik I final powered-stage
vehicle indicates the use of a
liquid oxygeA - kerosene pro-
pellant system. The booster
vehicle for the final powered
stage is most probably the So-
viet ICBM.
The structure weight (minus
payload) for each of the final
stages is very nearly the same
--the differences being less
than one percent of the average
weight. Thus, it appears that
the same type of vehicle was
used for the three lunar shots,
and that the payload for Lunik
II was increased over that for
Lunik I by less than one percent,
and by less than 3 percent for
Lunik III. On the assumption
that the propellant weight in the
final stage of each Lunik was
15,000 pounds, the variations in
burn-out velocities can be di-
rectly related to the differences
in weights of the empty final
stages.
Launch
Moscow radio announced the
launching of Lunik III on 4 Octo-
ber. /t also predicted that
the vehicle would reach a minimum
lunar altitude of about 6,000
nautical miles in approximately
three days. The vehicle was to
begin its scheduled two-hour
transmissions on 4 October at
a time when its altitude was
predicted to be 64,000 miles
above the earth.
Evaluation of Flight
Preliminary data analysis
indicates that the closest the
"station" passeWto,.-the moon
was 4.890 miles.
information based on calcula-
tions by a
top Soviet astronomer, that
Lunik III did not actually go
around the moon at all but in
its ascent passed behind the
moon. This source stated, how-
ever, that the probe did reach
a point from which 90 percent
of the "far side" of the moon
was observable and at a time
when the area was illuminated
by the sun.
Soviet releases made it
increasingly clear that Lunik
III would not fulfill its
originally announced mission
PART I
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
15 October 1959
of swerving around the moon at
a minimum distance of about
6,000 miles. This was later
changed to 4,340 miles prior
to Lunik III's arrival near
the moon, and subsequently
changed to 4,375 miles, after
probe had passed the moon.
On 10 October, the vehicle was
said to have proceeded to some
291,000 miles from the earth
and to have started its return
journey. The moon's apogee
and perigee are 253,000 and
222,000 miles, respectively.
Additional predictions of the
station's orbit around the
earth included a maximum dis-
tance of 248,000 and a minimum
distance of 1,240 miles, later
modified to 291,000 and 24,800
miles.
At present, it is not clear
whether the capsule passed in
front of or behind the moon,
nor have any references been
made to the path of the final
stage, other than early re-
leases stating it was follow-
ing a similar trajectory to
Lunik III.
The use of the designation
"automatic interplanetary sta-
tion" as applied to Lunik III
does not, in terms of presently
available information, appear
appropriate to its apparent mis-
sion. The terminology more ap-
propriately would be associated
with an interplanetary flight
mission for which the "station"
nould be utilized in the future.
(Prepared by (Jai)
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