N1 was the Soviet super-heavy rocket designed to launch cosmonauts toward the Moon, but none of its four test flights reached orbit successfully.
The N1 was developed under chief designer Sergei Korolev and was intended to compete with the American Saturn V. Its first stage used 30 engines, making engine synchronization and vibration control exceptionally difficult. The program also suffered from limited testing infrastructure and competition among Soviet design bureaux.
Launch attempts took place in 1969, 1969, 1971, and 1972. The second test caused one of the largest accidental explosions in the history of rocketry, destroying the launch complex. The final failure ended practical Soviet lunar-landing plans.
The Soviet Union never announced the N1’s lunar role publicly during the Space Race. The program was cancelled in 1974, and the United States’ Apollo 11 landing had already occurred in 1969.