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Mariner 2
Spacecraft
The first spacecraft to successfully visit another planet, Mariner 2 flew past Venus in 1962 and made important measurements of the planet's surface temperature, atmosphere, and magnetic field.
Key Facts
organization | NASA |
orbital regime | Inner System |
learn more | Wikipedia |
launched | 1962-08-27 |
defunct | 1963-01-03 |
launch mass | 203.6 kg |
power | 220 watts |
Mission Timeline
Launched
August 27, 1962 at 06:53 UTC
Venus
Flyby
Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by another planet when it passed within 34,773 kilometers of Venus on December 14, 1962, confirming the planet's extremely hot surface temperature and dense atmosphere.
Defunct
January 3, 1963 at 07:00 UTC
Mariner 2, the first spacecraft to successfully fly by another planet, ceased transmission on January 3, 1963, after completing its groundbreaking Venus flyby and entering a permanent heliocentric orbit.
Related Spacecraft
Mariner 4
Launched in 1964
Launched in 1964, Mariner 4 completed the first successful flyby of Mars in 1965, capturing the first close-up photographs of the Martian surface and revealing its cratered, Moon-like terrain.
Mariner 10
Launched in 1973
The first spacecraft to visit Mercury conducted three flybys between 1974-1975, capturing over 2,800 photos and revealing previously unknown features including the planet's scarred, cratered surface and weak magnetic field.
