Pioneer 3
Pioneer 3 was the physical lunar-flyby spacecraft launched on 6 December 1958 on Juno II AM-11. A premature engine shutdown left it short of the Moon, but it reached 63,580 miles altitude, returned valuable Van Allen radiation-belt data, and reentered over Africa on 7 December.
Identity
- Aliases
- Pioneer 3 spacecraftP-3
- Name
- Pioneer 3
- Status
- retired
Details
- Description
- Pioneer 3 was the physical lunar-flyby spacecraft launched on 6 December 1958 on Juno II AM-11. A premature engine shutdown left it short of the Moon, but it reached 63,580 miles altitude, returned valuable Van Allen radiation-belt data, and reentered over Africa on 7 December.
- First Flight Date
- 1958-12-06
- Vehicle Family
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pioneer-3/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 6, 2026 at 19:55:43 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 6, 2026 at 19:55:43 UTC
Other
- Last Flight Date
- 1958-12-07
- Serial Number
- Pioneer 3
- Vehicle Code
- Pioneer 3