Pioneer 5
NASA's Pioneer 5 was a direct solar-orbit mission originally intended for Venus. Launched on March 11, 1960, it entered heliocentric orbit between Earth and Venus to demonstrate deep-space technologies, carried the first operational digital telemetry system on a U.S. spacecraft, and returned observations used to map the interplanetary magnetic field.
Follow this mission
Alerts are unavailable because this mission is no longer active.
Identity
- Aliases
- Pioneer 5Pioneer P-2Able 6Thor Able IV Pioneer 5
- Name
- Pioneer 5
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- NASA's Pioneer 5 was a direct solar-orbit mission originally intended for Venus. Launched on March 11, 1960, it entered heliocentric orbit between Earth and Venus to demonstrate deep-space technologies, carried the first operational digital telemetry system on a U.S. spacecraft, and returned observations used to map the interplanetary magnetic field.
- Destination
- Heliocentric solar orbit between Earth and Venus; originally intended for a Venus encounter
- End Date
- 1960-06-26
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Successful deep-space technology demonstration. Pioneer 5 reached heliocentric orbit between Earth and Venus, maintained contact to June 26, 1960 at a record distance of 22.6 million miles (36.4 million kilometers) from Earth, and provided the first map of the interplanetary magnetic field. The spacecraft remains in solar orbit.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1960-03-11
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pioneer-5/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 17:44:54 UTC
- Updated Time
- September 7, 2026 at 23:37:18 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles