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Mission record

Pioneer 5

Also known as P-2, Able 6

NASA · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

NASA's Pioneer 5 successfully reached heliocentric orbit between Earth and Venus on a direct solar orbit trajectory to demonstrate deep space technologies and provide the first map of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Destinations
Launch vehicle
Thor Able IV
Launch site
Cape Canaveral / Launch Complex 17A
Countries
United States
Mission types
Heliophysics

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Pioneer 5 launched on a direct solar orbit trajectory

    Earth

  2. Loss of contact

    Final contact

    NASA reports final contact at 11:31 UT, 36.4 million km from Earth. Pioneer 5 remains in solar orbit.

    Sun

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Pioneer 5 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Sun

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

Known dates and encounters do not uniquely determine a flight path. This mission’s sourced timeline is available above; no verified trajectory is currently published here.

What is needed to reconstruct this path?
  • A frame-qualified position and vector velocity at an epoch, or complete orbital orientation and epoch tied to the contemporary NASA conic.
  • Full injection vector/orbit angles and native epoch/frame; maneuver history and tracking samples; measured spin pole/phase and deployment history.

Provenance

Sources

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

Data verified through October 12, 2026