Ranger 3 Lunar Impact Spacecraft
Ranger 3 was NASA’s first attempt to place a probe on the Moon. Guidance and computer malfunctions sent it past the Moon in 1962, but it returned the first measurements of interplanetary gamma-ray flux before entering heliocentric orbit.
Follow this vehicle family
Alerts for directly linked future launches and major activity.
Identity
- Aliases
- Ranger 3Ranger IIIRanger 3 lunar probeRanger 3 spacecraft
- Family Name
- Ranger 3
- Full Name
- Ranger 3 Lunar Impact Spacecraft
- Roles
- interplanetary_probeimpactorresearch
- Status
- retired
- Type
- spacecraft
Details
- Description
- Ranger 3 was NASA’s first attempt to place a probe on the Moon. Guidance and computer malfunctions sent it past the Moon in 1962, but it returned the first measurements of interplanetary gamma-ray flux before entering heliocentric orbit.
- First Flight Year
- 1,962
- Last Flight Year
- 1,962
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/ranger-3/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 13, 2026 at 12:09:43 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 13, 2026 at 12:09:43 UTC