LK-700
# 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 (related to the Proton 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:

* May 1972: First UR-700/LK-700 uncrewed launch. Subsequent launches in November 1972 and April 1973.
* April 1973: First crewed UR-700/LK-700 launch. Subsequent flights in August and October 1973.

Following initial LK-700 landings, the more ambitious Lunar Expeditionary Complex (LKE) 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
