Ranger 3 spacecraft

Missed the Moon and entered heliocentric orbit.

Era

A (1959-1976)

Parent mission

Ranger 3

Role

intended rough lander/impactor

Operator

NASA / JPL

Nation

USA

Launched (UTC)

1962-01-26

Reached Moon (UTC)

1962-01-28

Event type

flyby/impactor

Outcome

failure

Site

Missed Moon / flyby

Left on surface

none

Returned material

none

Current status

departed to heliocentric orbit

Operational status (derived)

failed

Source grade

primary

Review note

review:medium

Primary source