Ranger 1
Ranger 1 was NASA’s first standardized Ranger test mission, intended to validate technologies and study particles and fields in interplanetary space before later lunar imaging missions. An Agena B injection-stage malfunction stranded the spacecraft in low Earth orbit after its August 23, 1961 launch, and it reentered on August 30.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Ranger 1Ranger IRanger 1 Test Mission
- Name
- Ranger 1
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Ranger 1 was NASA’s first standardized Ranger test mission, intended to validate technologies and study particles and fields in interplanetary space before later lunar imaging missions. An Agena B injection-stage malfunction stranded the spacecraft in low Earth orbit after its August 23, 1961 launch, and it reentered on August 30.
- Destination
- Failed translunar injection; stranded in low Earth orbit at approximately 501 × 168 km before reentry
- End Date
- 1961-08-30
- Launch Site
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1961-08-23
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/ranger-1/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 17:04:37 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 21, 2026 at 13:38:25 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- -
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles