| On July 18, 1965, the Soviet Union launched Zond 3, which took numerous high-quality photographs while passing the far side of the Moon and transmitted these images back to Earth nine days later. Following its lunar flyby, the spacecraft entered a solar orbit. Originally, Zond 3 was planned to accompany Zond 2 on a Mars mission during the 1964 launch window, but that opportunity was missed. Instead, Zond 3 was launched on a Mars trajectory as a test for the spacecraft, becoming the second spacecraft to observe the Moon's dark side. |
