NASA's Jupiterian probe Lucy has encountered the first asteroid on its way to the solar system's largest planet
The Lucy space probe encountered its first asteroid this week and successfully studied it. The spacecraft is now heading towards Jupiter.
Here's What We Know
The Jupiter probe's first asteroid was Dinkinesh. The spacecraft used its installed instruments to study the asteroid. The data collected is expected to be transmitted to Earth next week.
An encounter with an asteroid called Dinkinesh is not the purpose of Lucy. NASA sent the probe into space in October 2021 to study nine Trojan asteroids. They are believed to have formed before the solar system was even created.
The main mission will launch four years later. In 2027, Lucy will fly close to the first of the Trojan asteroids. The mission will last until 2033.
Dinkinesh was one of the spacecraft's three additional targets. The distance between them reached 65,000 kilometres, but this was reduced to 425 kilometres after the spring manoeuvre. This allowed NASA to test the operation of the instruments. Lucy's next target is asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson. They will meet on 20 April 2025 at a distance of 922 km.