Status
Failure
Mariner 1
Launch Time
Sun Jul 22, 1962 09:21 UTC
Sun Jul 22, 1962 09:21 UTC
Communication errors between the rocket and its ground-based guidance systems caused the rocket to veer off course, and it was destroyed by range safety.
Rocket
Mission Details
Mariner 1
Mariner 1 was the first spacecraft of the American Mariner program, designed for a planetary flyby of Venus. It cost $18.5 million in 1962. It was launched aboard an Atlas-Agena rocket on July 22, 1962. Shortly after takeoff, the rocket responded improperly to commands from the guidance systems on the ground, setting the stage for an apparent software-related guidance system failure.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 203.0 kg
Heliocentric Orbit
Location
LC-12, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA
Stats
1962
38th orbital launch attempt
Atlas-Agena
19th mission
8th mission of 1962
7th failed mission