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1962 · United States Air Force

Ranger 3

successAtlas Agena B | Ranger 3

Ranger 3 was a spacecraft designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface during the last 10 minutes prior to impacting the Moon. A malfunction in the booster guidance system resulted in excessive spacecraft speed. Ranger 3 missed the Moon by 36,800 km and is now in a heliocentric orbit.

Overview

Date / time
January 26, 1962 at 08:30 PM UTC
Outcome
success
Launch site
Launch Complex 12
Mission
Ranger 3
Mission type
Lunar Exploration
Orbit achieved
Heliocentric N/A
Launch vehicle
Atlas LV-3 Agena B →
Launch provider
United States Air Force →

Payloads deployed · 1

RANGER 3
Heliocentric