Pioneer 2 Able 3 lunar-orbiter spacecraft family
Pioneer 2 was NASA’s 1958 Able 3 lunar-orbiter probe, the third U.S. attempt to reach lunar orbit. A Thor-Able third-stage failure left it suborbital; it returned brief scientific data before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere minutes after launch.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Pioneer 2Able 3Pioneer IIThor-Able I no. 2
- Family Name
- Pioneer 2
- Full Name
- Pioneer 2 Able 3 lunar-orbiter spacecraft family
- Roles
- orbiterinterplanetary_probetechnology_demonstratorresearch
- Status
- retired
- Type
- spacecraft
Details
- Description
- Pioneer 2 was NASA’s 1958 Able 3 lunar-orbiter probe, the third U.S. attempt to reach lunar orbit. A Thor-Able third-stage failure left it suborbital; it returned brief scientific data before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere minutes after launch.
- First Flight Year
- 1,958
- Last Flight Year
- 1,958
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pioneer-2/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 13, 2026 at 07:34:38 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 14, 2026 at 01:37:43 UTC