Zond 2

Zond 2, a member of the Soviet Zond program, was the first Soviet spacecraft to make a successful flyby of Mars. Unfortunately, contact was lost with the craft before it reached the planet, preventing any data from being gathered.

Zond 2, a Mars 3MV-4A craft, was launched on November 30, 1964. During some maneuvering in early May, 1965, communications were lost. Running on half power due to the loss of one of its solar panels, the spacecraft flew by Mars on August 6, 1965 at 5.62 km/s, 1,500 km away from the planet.

External References

NASA (NSSDC) information on Zond 2