NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Successfully Flies by Asteroid "Donaldjohanson"

2025-04-21 04:05:37

(MENAFN) NASA's Lucy spacecraft recently conducted a close flyby of a small asteroid in the main belt on Sunday.

The spacecraft passed within 960 kilometers of the asteroid, named "Donaldjohanson," at 1:51 p.m. ET (0551 GMT), traveling at a speed of approximately 48,000 km/h.

Following the close encounter, Lucy successfully transmitted a signal back to Earth, confirming its good health, according to the mission's operations team.

The spacecraft has been instructed to begin transmitting the data it gathered during the flyby, a process that will take about a week. This data will help scientists learn more about the asteroid and prepare for the mission's primary objective—exploring the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which will begin in 2027.

Named after the famous fossil of an early human ancestor discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, Lucy aims to explore a group of small, unexplored asteroids that orbit the Sun. The mission, which launched on October 16, 2021, seeks to expand our understanding of planetary formation, similar to how the Lucy fossil provided crucial insights into human evolution.

MENAFN21042025000045017169ID1109452067

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.