Launched on July 25, 1973, Mars 5 was one among four Soviet spacecraft launched towards our neighbouring planet in July and August of that year. The Soviet Union, in fact, launched four missions to Mars in a period of 20 days in July-August 1973. Named Mars 4, 5, 6 and 7, the first two were intended to orbit Mars and map its surface, while the last two were to land capsules on the Martian surface. Orbit and relayThe sister of Mars 4, Mars 5 was launched on July 25, 1973. After being launched into Earth orbit, Mars 5 was then pushed onto a trajectory that would take it to the red planet.

Source: The Hindu July 24, 2021 19:17 UTC