Mariner 2
Mariner 2 was NASA's first successful planetary-science mission. The JPL-built probe launched on August 27, 1962, flew past Venus on December 14, and returned measurements of the planet and interplanetary space until contact ended on January 3, 1963.
Follow this mission
Alerts are unavailable because this mission is no longer active.
Identity
- Aliases
- Mariner II missionP-38 mission1962-041A
- Name
- Mariner 2
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Mariner 2 was NASA's first successful planetary-science mission. The JPL-built probe launched on August 27, 1962, flew past Venus on December 14, and returned measurements of the planet and interplanetary space until contact ended on January 3, 1963.
- Destination
- Venus flyby at approximately 34,854 km range for the first successful mission to another planet and planetary-science measurements, followed by heliocentric orbit
- End Date
- 1963-01-03
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Successful first mission to another planet, first close Venus reconnaissance, and early direct measurement of the solar wind.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1962-08-27
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-2/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 29, 2026 at 21:55:11 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 25, 2026 at 04:06:56 UTC
- Image
- Download
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles