**Ranger 7: NASA's First Successful Moon Mission**
Published: January 31, 2026
Duration: 1:43
# Astronomy Tonight Podcast
This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Welcome, stargazers! On January 31st, we celebrate one of the most awe-inspiring moments in modern astronomy: the historic launch of the **Ranger 7 spacecraft on January 31, 1964**!
Picture this: The Space Race is in full swing, America and the Soviet Union are locked in an epic competition to reach the Moon, and NASA decides it's time to get some close-up photographs. Ranger 7 wasn't just any spacecraft—it was a 806-pound robotic explorer equipped with six television cameras, essentially a flying camera system on a crash-course mission with lu...
This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Welcome, stargazers! On January 31st, we celebrate one of the most awe-inspiring moments in modern astronomy: the historic launch of the **Ranger 7 spacecraft on January 31, 1964**!
Picture this: The Space Race is in full swing, America and the Soviet Union are locked in an epic competition to reach the Moon, and NASA decides it's time to get some close-up photographs. Ranger 7 wasn't just any spacecraft—it was a 806-pound robotic explorer equipped with six television cameras, essentially a flying camera system on a crash-course mission with lu...