Surveyor 4
Surveyor 4 was NASA's July 1967 lunar soft-landing mission aimed at Sinus Medii. Its television camera and surface sampler were intended to investigate the surface; a magnet in the sampler's claw could test for ferrous material. Communications abruptly ended on July 17 during the retrorocket burn, shortly before the planned landing. NASA considered a retrorocket explosion a possible cause of the loss.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Surveyor IVSurveyor-D1967-068A
- Name
- Surveyor 4
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Surveyor 4 was NASA's July 1967 lunar soft-landing mission aimed at Sinus Medii. Its television camera and surface sampler were intended to investigate the surface; a magnet in the sampler's claw could test for ferrous material. Communications abruptly ended on July 17 during the retrorocket burn, shortly before the planned landing. NASA considered a retrorocket explosion a possible cause of the loss.
- Destination
- Failed lunar soft landing attempt at Sinus Medii; communications were lost before touchdown
- End Date
- 1967-07-17
- Outcome
- The mission returned no surface observations and did not complete its planned soft landing. The proposed retrorocket explosion remains an explanation for the loss rather than a confirmed observation.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1967-07-14
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/surveyor-4/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 18:23:57 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 17, 2026 at 14:01:56 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- -
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles