Molniya-1 No.2

Molniya-1 No.2, a 1422 kg Molniya-1 satellite, was the first Soviet communications satellite to be launched. However, it failed to achieve orbit due to a malfunction of the rocket which was carrying it. It was intended to operate in a Molniya orbit, from where it would be used to demonstrate communications between parts of the USSR.

Launch
Molniya-1 No.2 was launched at 04:00 GMT on 4 June 1964, atop a Molniya 8K78 launch vehicle, flying from Site 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. A motor circuit in the servo controlling the core stage throttle failed 104 seconds into the flight, resulting in the throttle becoming jammed closed and the fuel supply to the engines being stopped.

Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA had incorrectly identified the launch of Molniya-1 No.2 as a failed attempt to launch a Zond spacecraft on a circumlunar technology demonstration mission, and assigned it the placeholder designation Zond 1964A.