The Soviet Union’s successful Zond-5 space mission in 1968 prompted NASA to speed up the Apollo program—ultimately driving it to its successful conclusion the following year.
In the heated frenzy of the Cold War’s Space Race, where the two superpowers vied for cosmic supremacy, an unlikely duo stole the spotlight for a moment: two Russian tortoises. Aboard the Soviet Union’s Zond-5 spacecraft, these resilient reptiles became the first living creatures from Earth to circle the moon—and return home safely.
Launched on September 14, 1968, Zond-5 marked a pivotal circumlunar mission that not only showcased Soviet ingenuity but also ignited understandable urgency in NASA’s Apollo program.
This uncrewed feat directly influenced the bold decision to propel Apollo 8 toward the lunar orbit just three months later, reshaping the trajectory of human spaceflight.
The Zond Program: The Soviet Union’s Apollo Mission
The Zond program, part of the Soviet Union’s ambitious lunar exploration efforts, aimed to test technologies for crewed flights around the moon. Zond-5 blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Proton-K rocket, weighing 5.2 tons and carrying a diverse biological payload.
Beyond the tortoises—chosen for their low metabolic rates and endurance—the capsule housed fruit fly eggs, plants, seeds, bacteria, fungi, and even wine flies to study the effects of space radiation and microgravity on life.
After a seven-day journey, the spacecraft swung within 1,211 miles of the lunar surface on September 18, capturing photographs and telemetry data before hurtling back toward Earth.
Reentry proved tense. The capsule’s trajectory deviated from projections, splashing down in the Indian Ocean instead of the planned land recovery site, far from the Soviet ships. Despite this, the tortoises emerged dehydrated but alive, having lost only ten percent of their body weight—less than expected.
Post-mission analysis revealed the payload’s resilience, validating the Zond vehicle’s design for potential human voyages. This success came after earlier Zond failures, like Zond-4’s aborted mission in March 1968, positioning the Zond-5 as a desperate bid to reclaim Soviet momentum amid US advances.
The Zond Program Scared NASA Into Speeding Up
The Space Race, fueled by Cold War rivalry, had seen the Soviets surge ahead of the Americans with Sputnik in 1957 and Yuri Gagarin’s 1961 orbit. By 1968, however, NASA’s Saturn V rocket successes shifted the tide.
Yet Zond-5’s lunar loop sent shockwaves through American ranks. Intelligence reports confirmed the Soviets’ capability for circumlunar flights with biological safeguards, raising fears of an imminent manned Zond mission—potentially stealing NASA’s thunder before Apollo’s planned 1969 landing.
NASA’s response was swift and audacious. Apollo 8, originally slated for an Earth-orbit shakedown of the lunar module, pivoted to a daring lunar orbital mission. On August 19, 1968, weeks before Zond-5’s launch, NASA Administrator James Webb had mulled the idea, but the Soviet probe’s triumph sealed it.
By late September, with Zond-5’s safe return on September 21, the decision crystallized: astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders would orbit the moon unmanned by the Soviets. According to Amy Shira Teitel of Al Jazeera, “Zond-5’s progress wasn’t the sole factor but it justified the riskiest gamble in Apollo’s history.”
Apollo 8 roared skyward on December 21, 1968, from Kennedy Space Center, the first humans to escape Earth’s gravity and venture an astonishing 240,000 miles to the moon. Over ten revolutionary days, the crew entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, broadcasting the iconic “Earthrise” photo and reading Genesis to a global audience.
Apollo 8’s safe splashdown on December 27 cemented American dominance. In response, the Soviet Union sped up its efforts to launch the Zond-6 flight—but that mission in November ended in reentry failure, with the capsule crashing in Kazakhstan and none of the animals on board surviving. Zond-6’s failure made clear to all observers that the race to the moon was all over but the crying—and indeed, less than a year later, Neil Armstrong would make his giant leap for mankind on July 20, 1969.
America Won the First Space Race—but Might Lose the Second
Zond-5’s legacy endures as a catalyst in the Space Race narrative. By providing life’s viability beyond Earth-Moon transit, it forced NASA’s hand, accelerating humanity’s—and specifically America’s—lunar odyssey. Those tortoises, humble harbingers, underscored that even in the void, survival—and rivalry—prevail.
Today, as one eyes Artemis and private lunar ventures, Zond-5 reminds us that in the cosmos, timing is everything. As a new space race heats up between the United States and China, Americans should be very concerned that in this new space race, the United States is playing the role of the Soviet Union and China is playing the role of the dynamic American upstarts.
NASA should pay close attention to the failures of the Soviet Union’s lunar program to ensure it does not repeat those same—or make similar—mistakes today
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, The Asia Times, and others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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