Able 1 (Pioneer 0) lunar deep-space-probe spacecraft family
The Able 1 (retroactively Pioneer 0) family represents the first attempted deep-space spacecraft mission, a U.S. lunar probe launched on 17 August 1958 before NASA existed. The Thor first stage exploded 73.6 seconds after launch, but the mission opened the Pioneer series and demonstrated the hardware and operations needed for missions beyond Earth orbit.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Able 1Pioneer 0Pioneer 0 Able 1
- Family Name
- Able 1 (Pioneer 0)
- Full Name
- Able 1 (Pioneer 0) lunar deep-space-probe spacecraft family
- Roles
- interplanetary_probetechnology_demonstrator
- Status
- retired
- Type
- spacecraft
Details
- Description
- The Able 1 (retroactively Pioneer 0) family represents the first attempted deep-space spacecraft mission, a U.S. lunar probe launched on 17 August 1958 before NASA existed. The Thor first stage exploded 73.6 seconds after launch, but the mission opened the Pioneer series and demonstrated the hardware and operations needed for missions beyond Earth orbit.
- First Flight Year
- 1,958
- Last Flight Year
- 1,958
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 6, 2026 at 19:36:11 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 6, 2026 at 19:36:11 UTC