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Mission record

Ranger 6

Also known as RA-A, Ranger6

NASA · Launched

Explore trajectory

Failed · Failure

Ranger 6 was a Block 3 Ranger carrying six television vidicon cameras and no other experiments, designed to return high-resolution photographs during the final minutes before lunar impact. It impacted the Moon on target at the eastern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis, but a camera system failure meant no images were returned.

Destinations
Moon
Launch vehicle
Atlas-Agena B
Launch site
Cape Canaveral, United States
Countries
United States
Mission types
Impactor

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Ranger 6 launched

    Earth
  2. Milestone

    Ranger 6 TV power system arced over about 2 minutes after launch

    Earth
  3. Impact

    Ranger 6 impacted the Moon on the eastern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis

    Moon

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Ranger 6 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Moon

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

No verified trajectory dataset is committed for this mission, so Mission Atlas renders no path.

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through August 24, 2026