Mariner 3
Mariner 3 was the first spacecraft launched in NASA/JPL's paired 1964 Mars-flyby project. It was designed to photograph the Martian surface with a television camera and measure particles, plasma, magnetic fields and dust during the journey. After its November 5, 1964 launch, the payload shroud failed to separate and power was lost; the spacecraft entered an unintended solar orbit without reaching Mars.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Mariner 3Mariner C-2Mariner 3 Mars Flyby Probe
- Name
- Mariner 3
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Mariner 3 was the first spacecraft launched in NASA/JPL's paired 1964 Mars-flyby project. It was designed to photograph the Martian surface with a television camera and measure particles, plasma, magnetic fields and dust during the journey. After its November 5, 1964 launch, the payload shroud failed to separate and power was lost; the spacecraft entered an unintended solar orbit without reaching Mars.
- Destination
- No Mars flyby achieved; payload shroud failure prevented solar-array deployment and left the spacecraft in heliocentric orbit at approximately 0.983 × 1.311 AU
- End Date
- 1964-11-05
- Outcome
- Mariner 3 did not reach its Mars-flyby objective. After launch, the payload shroud failed to separate, battery power fell to zero, and the solar panels apparently did not deploy. The extra shroud mass prevented a proper trans-Mars trajectory, leaving the spacecraft in an unintended heliocentric orbit; a later investigation identified separation of the shroud’s inner fiberglass layer from its outer skin as the cause.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1964-11-05
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-3/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 17:33:57 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 17, 2026 at 14:01:58 UTC
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Other
- Affiliations
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- Space Stations
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- Vehicles