Ranger 2

Spacecraft· NASA / JPLlost

Ranger 2 — the second Ranger test flight (18 November 1961). The same Agena restart failure left it in a short-lived Earth orbit that decayed within about two days; it never reached a lunar trajectory.

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Key facts

Distance from Sun

1.01 AU

Status

Lost

Launched

1961

Mission & specifications

Mission

Operator: NASA / JPL
Launched: November 18, 1961
Status: Lost

Trajectory

Distance from the Sun: 1.01 AU
Distance from Earth: 16,262 km
Distance from Venus: 0.594 AU

Mission

Ranger 2 repeated its sister's fate almost exactly. Launched on 18 November 1961 as the second test flight of the Ranger design, it was crippled by the same weakness — the Agena upper stage would not restart — and was left in a low orbit that decayed within about two days. Two flights, two identical failures, and the programme had not yet even aimed at the Moon. It was a discouraging beginning, but the fault was now understood, and the first true lunar attempt was next.

Images

The Ranger spacecraft — Ranger 2 failed in Earth orbit like its predecessor — NASA / JPL (public domain) · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image