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L2 Lunar Rover

L2 was a project that appeared simultaneously with L-1 in September 1963. It consisted in launching the Lunokhod, remotely controlled from Earth, to the Earth’s satellite. It was a direct ancestor of Lunokhod-1 and Lunokhod-2, which were created on its basis and worked on the Moon, respectively, in 1970 and 1972. The L-2 apparatus itself consisted of the following components: the lunar rover itself and a system that would deliver it to the lunar surface.

The successful all-terrain vehicle developed a speed of up to 4 km / h and was able to travel considerable distances: its resource was 2500 km. The lunar rover consisted of a motor compartment with electric motors, an equipment compartment with communication / control systems, and a power plant based on solar batteries and a battery or, more likely, radioisotope sources, and maybe even a nuclear reactor.

But the device with the moon rover had to land on the moon without entering the satellite orbit. For these purposes, the orbital part was supposed to maneuver the orbit of the satellite, take the Moon to the flight path, pre-braking the moon at an altitude of 200-300 km and finally braking the surface to ensure a soft landing at a vertical speed of 2-4 m / s. The total mass in a low Earth orbit would be 23 tons, as in the L-1 program, and of these, 5,000 kg reached the surface of the Moon. Again, as for the L-1, everything needed was derived during the 6 launches of the Soyuz launch vehicle: lunar rover, upper stage, etc.

The main objective of the lunar rover was to conduct scientific research on the lunar surface and search for the most favorable places for landing in the future manned vehicles, for which it should also be a radio beacon for a more accurate orientation. A television camera would stand on the moonwalker, which allows receiving circular panoramas, tools for studying the mechanical properties and structure of the soil. Special sensors would provide information about solar radiation and cosmic rays, which was also necessary to provide a manned expedition.