USAF Atlas LV-3 Agena B Ranger 3
Atlas LV-3 Agena B
Status
Success
Date
26 JAN 1962
20:30
Mission Overview
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.
Rocket
Atlas LV-3 Agena B
Mission Type
Lunar Exploration
Orbit
Heliocentric N/A
Livestream
Not availableRocket Details
The Atlas LV-3A was a largely unsuccessful configuration until it was given an Agena B upper stage. It was responsible for the launch of Mariner II to Venus and had one of the first engines that could be restarted in orbit.
Height
20.27 m
Diameter
3.05 m
Launch Mass
130 T
Thrust
363 kN