Object E - the early Soviet lunar probes

This is an attempt to summarise the contents of a letter from T Varfolomeyev in JBIS, April 1999.¹

	Period
Object	Dec 1957	Summer 1958	Feb 1959	Feb 1960
E-1	Lunar impact Aug-Sep 58 m = 170 kg (Luna-A²)	Lunar impact Aug-Sep 58	Lunar impact Aug-Sep 58 Completed Four launches, one partial success (Luna1):	Lunar impact Completed
E-1A	-	-	Lunar impact March-June 59	Lunar impact Completed Successful flight (Luna-2)
E-2	Far-side photo Oct-Nov 58 Yenisey-1 photo system by NII-380 with f=200/500 mm. Radio system/NII-885 m = 280 kg (Luna-B²)	Far-side photo Cancelled	-	-
E-2A	-	Far-side photo Oct-Nov 59 Yenisey-2 photo system by NII-380. Radio system by NII-885	Far-side photo Oct-Nov 59 Yenisey-2 photo system/NII-380 f=200/500 mm. RTS-12B Radio system/SKB-567?	Far-side photo Completed One successful flight (Luna-3) m = 278.5 kg
E-2A modified	-	-	-	Far-side photo Apr 60 Yenisey-2 photo system. Modified radio system
E-2F	-	-	Far-side photo Apr 60 Yenisey-3 photo system by NII-380	Far-side photo Cancelled Due to difficulties with Yenisey-3
E-3	Far-side photo Imaging system and radio system from OKB-MEI. f=750 mm m = 280 kg (Luna-V²)	Far-side photo Imaging system and radio system from OKB-MEI. f=750 mm	Far-side photo Cancelled Due to problems in developing scaning and attitude control system	Far-side photo E-3 designation given to modified E-2A and launched in April 60.
E-4	Lunar impact Nuclear explosion m = 400 kg (Luna-G²)	Lunar impact Cancelled Nuclear explosion	-	-
E-5	-	-	Lunar orbit Oct-Dec 59	Lunar orbit Cancelled
E-6	-	-	Lunar soft landing First half 60	Lunar soft landing 1960-61
E-7	-	-	Lunar surface photo from orbit 1960	Lunar surface photo from orbit 1960

References

Timothy Varfolomeyev, Correspondence section of JBIS, Vol 52, pp. 157-160, April 1999.
M.V. Keldysh, "The Creative Legacy of Academician Sergey Pavlovich Korrolev". Moscow, Nauka, 1980.

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