Launch Failure

Liftoff Time (GMT)

08:12:00

Saturday November 18, 1961

Watch Replay

24/7 Coverage

Mission Details

Launch Notes

Agena failed to restart due to rate gyro malfunction; the spacecraft was left in LEO.

Ranger 2

Wiki

Ranger 2 was a flight test of the Ranger spacecraft system of the NASA Ranger program designed for future lunar and interplanetary missions. Ranger 2 was designed to test various systems for future exploration and to conduct scientific observations of cosmic rays, magnetic fields, radiation, dust particles, and a possible hydrogen gas "tail" trailing the Earth.

Trans Lunar Injection

1 Payload

304 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Atlas-LV3 Agena-B

Active 1961 to 1965


Payload to Orbit

LEO: 1,725 kg

Stages

2

Launch Site

LC-12

Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

32 days 4 hours

Stats

Atlas-Agena


9th

Mission

6th

Mission of 1961

1961


44th

Orbital launch attempt