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1962 · United States Air Force

Ranger 4

successAtlas Agena B | Ranger 4

Ranger 4 was a spacecraft designed to softly impact the lunar surface. Its solar panels were never extended and its sun and earth acquisition system was not initiated due to a failure of a timer in its central computer. It impacted the far side of the Moon on April 26 after 64 hours of flight.

Overview

Date / time
April 23, 1962 at 08:50 PM UTC
Outcome
success
Launch site
Launch Complex 12
Mission
Ranger 4
Mission type
Lunar Exploration
Orbit achieved
Lunar Impactor
Launch vehicle
Atlas LV-3 Agena B →
Launch provider
United States Air Force →

Payloads deployed · 1

RANGER 4
Lunar