NASA’S LUCY MISSION IS ALL SET TO LAUNCH TROJAN ASTEROIDS

NASA’S LUCY MISSION IS ALL SET TO LAUNCH TROJAN ASTEROIDS

Context:

NASA has tested the functions of Lucy, its 1st spacecraft to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. It is filled with fuel and is preparing to pack into a capsule for launch.

Key Highlights:

• Spacecraft will be launched from “Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida” on October 16, 2021.
• It would obtain new insights into the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
• It was named Lucy after an ancient fossil that provided insights into the evolution of the human species.

About the Lucy Mission:

• It will go for a 12-year journey after getting boosts from Earth’s gravity.
• The 12-year journey will be finished across 8 different asteroids including one in the Main Belt between Mars & Jupiter and seven Trojans.
• Spacecraft will fly by its target objects within 400 kilometres of their surfaces. It will use onboard instruments and a large antenna to investigate the geology of target objects. It will be the first solar-powered spacecraft at a distance of 400 km.
• The total cost of the mission is $981 million.

Trojan Asteroids:

• These are named after characters in Greek mythology, these asteroids circle the Sun in two swarms, with one group leading ahead of Jupiter in its path, the other trailing behind it.