The LK (from Lunniy korabyl, engl. lunar craft), was a Soviet single-pilot lunar landing craft to be launched to the Moon on the N1 rocket.
History[]
The LK was developed in the 1960s under the leadership of Sergei Korolev as part of several Soviet crewed lunar programs.
It was first piloted to the lunar surface by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov on June 26, 1969.
Functionality[]
The way the LK works is, to some degree, similar to the way the American lunar module used in the Apollo missions works. One of the cosmonauts performs a spacewalk from the LOK to the LK, which is piloted by the cosmonaut to the Moon's surface to perform a landing. After the EVA is completed, the LK leaves its landing legs behind and climbs into a stable orbit around the Moon, from where it rendezvous with the LOK and docks with it. The cosmonaut then performs another spacewalk from the LK to the LOK and abandons it in lunar orbit, while the LOK returns to Earth with both cosmonauts on board.
Gallery[]
See also[]
External link[]
LK (spacecraft) on Wikipedia
