AP reports that on Wednesday, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft “encountered the first of 10 asteroids on its long journey to Jupiter.” The spacecraft “swooped past the pint-sized Dinkinesh, about 300 million miles (480 million kilometers) away in the main asteroid belt beyond Mars.” It was “a quick hello,” according to NASA, “with the spacecraft zooming by at 10,000 mph (16,000 kph).” Lucy came “within 270 miles (435 kilometers) of Dinkinesh, testing its instruments in a dry run for the bigger and more alluring asteroids ahead.” Dinkinesh is “just a half-mile (1 kilometer) across, quite possibly the smallest of the space rocks on Lucy’s tour.” Lucy’s main targets “are the so-called Trojans, swarms of unexplored asteroids out near Jupiter that are considered to be time capsules from the dawn of the solar system.” The spacecraft “will swing past eight Trojans believed to be up to 10 to 100 times bigger than Dinkinesh.” It’s due to “zip past the final two asteroids in 2033.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
Tag: November 1
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches for First Time in Three Years
Space News reports that a SpaceX Falcon Heavy “lifted off Nov. 1 at 9:41 a.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carrying the U.S. Space Force USSF-44 mission to geostationary Earth orbit.” This is the fourth flight of the Falcon Heavy since 2018 “and the first in more than three years.” Launch of the classified USSF-44 mission, originally scheduled in 2020 but delayed several times, involved “a direct-to-geostationary orbit launch carrying two Space Force satellites and small rideshare payloads.” Space Systems Command confirmed through a news release Tuesday evening that the mission was a success. USSF-44 marks a milestone for SpaceX “as its first direct-to-GEO operational mission, requiring the Falcon Heavy upper stage to perform a long-duration coast and engine re-start.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
USSF-44 Mission, November 1, 2022
(SpaceX; YouTube)