The 4MV planetary probe (short for 4th-generation Mars-Venus probe) is a designation for a common design used for Soviet unmanned probes to Mars and Venus.

4MV
Mars-6, a 3MP version of the 4MV bus.
ManufacturerNPO Lavochkin
Country of originSoviet Union
OperatorSoviet Space Program
Specifications
Power2 Solar arrays (Mars, Venera)
4 Solar arrays (Astron, Granat)
Production
Operational1971-1989

Engines:

  • 1 KTDU-425 (Mars 2-3)
  • 1 KTDU-425A (Post 1971)
  • Fuel:
  • UDMH/N2O4
  • ← 3MV 5VK

    It was an incremental improvement of earlier 3MV probes and was used for Mars missions 2 to 7 and Venera missions 9 to 16. Different versions of the bus exist, for example 4V-1, 4V-M and 4V-2.[1][2] The same base design was also used for earth-orbiting space observatories.[3]

    Design

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    The spacecraft bus has a height of 2.8 meters (9 ft 2 in) and a solar panel span of 6.7 meters (22 ft). The central section of the bus has a diameter of about one meter (3 ft 3 in) and contained propellant. The main engine (KTDU-425) is encircled by a conical instrument compartment with the diameter of 2.35 meters (7 ft 9 in) at the base.[4] While Mars 2,3 and Kosmos 419 used the KTDU-425, 4MV buses after 1971 used the KTDU-425A).[5]

     
    Astron

    Variants

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    M-71 - 3MS version

    See also

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    References

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    1. ^ a b "Venera 9, 10, 11, 12 (4V1 #1, 2, 3, 4)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    2. ^ a b "Venera 13, 14 (4V1M #1, 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    3. ^ "4MV". www.astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023.
    4. ^ "Venera-9 and 10". www.russianspaceweb.com.
    5. ^ "KTDU-425". www.astronautix.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
    6. ^ "Mars 2, 3 (Mars M71 #1, #2, #3)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    7. ^ "Mars 4, 5 (Mars M73 Orbiter #1, #2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    8. ^ "Mars 6, 7 (Mars M73 Lander #1, #2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    9. ^ "Astron 1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    10. ^ "Venera 15, 16 (4V2 #1, 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
    11. ^ "Granat (Astron 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-25.