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L3M-1972
Part of L3M

L3M - Cutaway View

L3M - Cutaway View
Cutaway views of early and later L3M manned lunar lander designs.

Russian manned lunar lander. Study 1972. Revised L3M design of the L3M lunar lander for use with the Block Sr crasher stage. The Soyuz return capsule was completely enclosed in a pressurized 'hangar'.

Status: Study 1972. Gross mass: 25,000 kg (55,000 lb). Height: 9.30 m (30.50 ft). Span: 9.40 m (30.80 ft).

This L3M would have allowed stays of up to 90 days by a crew of three.

In July 1970 Kuznetsov was given authorization to design substantially improved versions of the N1 rocket engines. The N1 that would utilize these engines was designated the N1F and would have a payload to a 225 km orbit of 105,000 kg.

Full go-ahead to develop a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen high energy upper stage for the N1F finally came in June 1970. The decision was made to develop a multi-engine Block Sr with a propellant mass of 66.4 metric tons. This single stage would be used in place of the previously-planned Blocks S and R to insert spacecraft of what was now termed the Lunar Expeditionary Complex (LEK) into low lunar orbit. It was also to be used to insert heavy spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit and on interplanetary trajectories.

The revised L3M for use with the Block Sr completed design in 1972. In this version the Soyuz capsule was completely enclosed in a pressurized 'hangar' (the OB, cocooned habitation block) which provided the crew with accommodation space. In this variant the crew could simply step out of the capsule into the hangar area without having to don space suits and conduct an EVA. This L3M would have had a mass of about 23 metric tons landed on the surface and have allowed stays of up to 90 days by a crew of three. The two-launch scenario would still be followed, with a single Block Sr from each N1 launch taking over duties of both the Blocks S and R in the previous plan. The DU engine block would perform the same ascent stage duties as the Block E of the original LK.

Crew Size: 2.



Family: Lunar Landers, Moon. Country: Russia. Spacecraft: L3M. Launch Vehicles: N1, N1F, N1 1969, N1F-L3M. Agency: Korolev bureau. Bibliography: 288, 367, 474.
Photo Gallery

LK with L3M mockupLK with L3M mockup
LK with L3M-1972 mock-up at Energia
Credit: NASM


L3ML3M
External views of early and later L3M manned lunar lander designs.


Soviet Lunar LandersSoviet Lunar Landers
Landing stages for Soviet lunar expeditions. Top row, left to right: L3 original version; LK; LK-3; LK-700; two versions of the L3M; LEK for Energia-launched lunar landing. Bottom row, lunar base elements: Chelomei KLE; Chelomei Heavy Lunokhod; Barmin DLB base module; LZM, LZhM, Lunokhod, and LEK for Glushko LEK Vulkan-launched lunar base.
Credit: © Mark Wade



1972 February 16 - . LV Family: N1. Launch Vehicle: N1F.
1972 May 15 - . LV Family: N1. Launch Vehicle: N1F.
1973 January 1 - . LV Family: N1. Launch Vehicle: N1F-L3M.
1974 May 1 - . Launch Vehicle: N1.
1974 May 19 - . Launch Vehicle: N1.
1974 June 24 - . Launch Vehicle: N1.

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