JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo

Pioneer 4

Pioneer 4

The Pioneer 4 mission was the second of two early attempts by the United States to send a spacecraft to the moon.

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

March 3, 1959

Type

Flyby Spacecraft

Target

Moon

Status

Past

About the mission

The Pioneer 4 mission was the second of two early attempts by the United States to send a spacecraft to the moon. Designed primarily to photograph the moon up close, Pioneer 4 did in fact fly past the moon, but at a much farther distance than planned. Because of the trajectory error, the camera sensor failed to trigger.

Pioneer 4 did provide extensive and valuable data on radiation and the tracking of space objects. After 82 hours of transmissions from Pioneer 4's tiny radio and and 655,000 miles of travel -- the farthest tracking distance for a human-made object at the time -- contact was lost on March 6, 1959.

Instruments

  • Geiger tube detector

More about Solar System

QUIZZES .

Space Trivia

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Dust-Filled Martian Whirlwind

Image .

Martian Whirlwind Takes the 'Thorofare'

News .

Historic Wind Tunnel Facility Testing NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle Rocket

News .

Autonomous Systems Help NASA’s Perseverance Do More Science on Mars

News .

NASA Releases Independent Review’s Mars Sample Return Report

Image .

Perseverance AutoNav Avoids a Boulder

Image .

Perseverance's AutoNav Leads the Way

Image .

Perseverance Makes Tracks in Boulder Field

News .

Venus on Earth: NASA’s VERITAS Science Team Studies Volcanic Iceland

› Mission Information on JPL History
› Pioneer 4 Information on Solar System Exploration
› Pioneer 4 Information on National Space Science Data Center

Explore Other Missions

Dawn

Europa Clipper

Magellan

Genesis

Europa Lander

Infrared Astronomical Satellite

GRAIL

Galileo

Cassini-Huygens

Juno

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018