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Dawn Mission patch shows the spacecraft and asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres.

Dawn

Occurred 6 years ago

Dawn was NASA’s first truly interplanetary spaceship. The mission featured extended stays at two very different extraterrestrial bodies:  giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres. Both small worlds reside in the debris-strewn main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Type

Orbiter

Launch

Sept. 27, 2007

TargetS

Vesta and Ceres

Status

Successful
Follow Dawn on its journey from Earth to the asteroid belt with this simulation built with real mission data.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Dawn Stories

Explore All Dawn Stories
Article
4 Min Read

Lab Work Digs Into Gullies Seen on Giant Asteroid Vesta by NASA’s Dawn

Article
6 Min Read

Mystery Solved: Bright Areas on Ceres Come From Salty Water Below

2 Min Read

NASA’s Dawn Mission Honored by Space Foundation

Article
16 Min Read

Cosmic Detective Work: Why We Care About Space Rocks

Article
Min Read

NASA’s Dawn Mission to Asteroid Belt Comes to End

News Release
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