The crowded Soviet space schedule meant that no resources for lunar missions were available and plans for more advanced second-generation probes were dleayed, especially as the goal of a soft landing on the Moon was a difficult one that many engineers were hesitant to tackle.
[4] The booster performed perfectly through orbital injection but there was no indication of Blok L start, which was supposed to take place while the stage was over the Gulf of Guinea, out of range of Soviet tracking stations.
It was not clear why this happened, but one theory that was advanced held that leaking LOX during the coasting phase had caused an explosion when the engine was started.
Ground testing was unable to replicate the exact in-flight environment but it was decided to add a small amount of water and oxygen to the container to keep the brushes slightly moistened.
It was intended to return data on the mechanical characteristics of the lunar surface, the hazards presented by the topology — such as craters, rocks, and other obstructions — and radiation, in preparation for future crewed landings.