Pioneer 0 was launched at 12:18:00 UTC on August 17,1958 by the United States Air Force, but was destroyed by an explosion of the first stage 77 of the Thor booster seconds after launch at 16 km altitude, 16 km downrange over the Atlantic Ocean.
Pioneer 0 was launched at 12:18:00 UTC on August 17,1958 by the United States Air Force, only 4 minutes after the scheduled launch time. It was destroyed by an explosion of the first stage of the Thor booster, 73.6 seconds after lift-off at 16 km altitude, 16 km downrange over the Atlantic Ocean.