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Able 1 (Pioneer 0)

Able 1 (Pioneer 0) was the first attempted deep-space/lunar launch by any nation. On August 17, 1958, its Thor-Able booster failed about 73.6 seconds after liftoff and exploded before the spacecraft could begin its planned lunar-orbit mission.

Able 1 (Pioneer 0)
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Identity

Aliases
Able 1Pioneer 0Able IThor-Able 1
Name
Able 1 (Pioneer 0)
Status
failed

Details

Astronauts
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Description
Able 1 (Pioneer 0) was the first attempted deep-space/lunar launch by any nation. On August 17, 1958, its Thor-Able booster failed about 73.6 seconds after liftoff and exploded before the spacecraft could begin its planned lunar-orbit mission.
Destination
Failed lunar-orbit attempt; the Thor-Able booster exploded about 73.6 seconds after liftoff before the spacecraft could begin its planned lunar-orbit mission
End Date
1958-08-17
Launch Site
Outcome
The Thor-Able booster exploded about 73.6 seconds after launch, destroying the spacecraft before its planned lunar mission could begin.
Programs
Start Date
1958-08-17
Vehicle Families

Links

Official Url
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pioneer-0-able1/

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
August 15, 2026 at 05:30:01 UTC
Updated Time
August 22, 2026 at 14:33:34 UTC
Image
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