Lucy
The first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Images Asteroid Donaldjohanson
In its second asteroid encounter, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft obtained a close look at a uniquely shaped fragment of an asteroid that formed about 150 million years ago. The spacecraft has begun returning images that were collected as it flew approximately 600 miles (960 km) from the asteroid Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2025.
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NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Prepares Second Asteroid Encounter
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is 6 days and less than 50 million miles (80 million km) away from its second close encounter with an asteroid; this time, the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.
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Lucy is the first space mission to explore a diverse population of small bodies known as the Jupiter Trojan
asteroids. These remnants of our early solar system are trapped on stable orbits associated with – but not close to – the giant planet Jupiter. Trojan asteroids orbit in two “swarms” that lead and follow Jupiter in its orbit around the Sun and are thought to be comparable in number to the objects in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Over its 12-year mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids: it will fly by three in the belt of asteroids that circle the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and then eight Trojans, which includes five asteroid targets and the satellites of three of those. Lucy also will fly by Earth three times to get a push from its gravity, making it the first spacecraft to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system.
Lucy is named for a fossilized skeleton of a human ancestor, which was named for the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
| Asteroid | Flyby Date |
|---|---|
| Dinkinesh (pronounced DIN-ke-nesh) and a contact binary satellite Selam (SEY-lahm) | Nov. 1, 2023 |
| Donaldjohanson | April 20, 2025 |
| Eurybates (yoo-RIB-a-teez or you-ri-BAY-teez) and its satellite Queta (KEH-tah) | Aug. 12, 2027 |
| Polymele (pah-li-MEH-lee or pah-LIM-ah-lee) and its unnamed satellite | Sept. 15, 2027 |
| Leucus (LYOO-kus or LOO-kus) | April 18, 2028 |
| Orus (OH-rus) | Nov. 11, 2028 |
| Patroclus (pa-TROH-klus) and its satellite Menoetius (meno-EE-shus or meh-NEE-shus) | March 3, 2033 |
The Lucy mission is named after the fossilized skeleton of an early hominin (pre-human ancestor) that was found in Ethiopia in 1974 and named “Lucy” by the team of paleoanthropologists who discovered it. And just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into human evolution, the Lucy mission promises to expand our knowledge of planetary origins.
Latest Lucy News
NASA Selects Participating Scientists to Join Lucy Asteroid Mission
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Takes Its 1st Images of Asteroid Donaldjohanson
NASA Lucy Images Reveal Asteroid Dinkinesh to be Surprisingly Complex
NASA’s Lucy Surprises Again, Observes 1st-ever Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid
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NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Completes Asteroid Donaldjohanson Flyby
The Lucy operations team has confirmed NASA’s Lucy spacecraft phoned home after its encounter with the main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson. The spacecraft’s closest approach to the asteroid occurred at 1:51 pm EDT on Sunday. Initial information indicates that the spacecraft is in good health.
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Approaches Asteroid Donaldjohanson
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is less than one month away from its next asteroid encounter. As it approaches, Lucy is keeping an eye on its target, the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, using its high-resolution imager, L’LORRI, for optical navigation.
NASA’s Lucy Days Away from Asteroid Encounter
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will soon reach the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson. In this image, created by stacking images that the Lucy spacecraft took during its approach, the asteroid appears as a series of points in front of the static background of stars and galaxies.
Lucy's Journey
Episode 1: Launch. Meet Lucy as she prepares for the first ever journey to the Trojan asteroids, a population of primitive small bodies orbiting in tandem with Jupiter.
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