Lucy
The first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
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.
Learn MoreNew Modeling Assesses Age of Next Target Asteroid for NASA’s Lucy
Although NASA’s Lucy spacecraft’s upcoming encounter with the asteroid Donaldjohanson is primarily a mission rehearsal for later asteroid encounters, a new paper suggests that this small, main belt asteroid may have some surprises of its own. New modeling indicates that Donaldjohanson may have been formed about 150 million years ago when a larger parent asteroid broke apart; its orbit and spin properties have undergone significant evolution since.
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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.
Watch more episodesOverview
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’s Lucy Surprises Again, Observes 1st-ever Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Discovers 2nd Asteroid During Dinkinesh Flyby
Data From NASA’s WISE Used to Preview Lucy Mission’s Asteroid Dinkinesh
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Preparing for its First Asteroid Flyby
More on the Lucy Blog
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 Spacecraft Prepares for Second Earth Gravity Assist
Shortly after 11:30 p.m. EST, Thursday Dec. 12, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft resumed communications with Earth following the short, planned communication blackout that occurred in the hours around closest approach during its second Earth gravity assist.
NASA’s Lucy Ready for 2024 Mission Milestones
On Feb. 3, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft completed the largest planned main engine burn of its 12-year mission. During this deep space maneuver, the main engines operated for over 36 minutes.
